A Castle of Ebony
by Lrenn
Summary: Gwen is sent to find her father and best friend and accidentally stumbles onto a centuries old curse...
1. Chapter One

**Chapter One - ****Three Hundred Years Later**

The newly laid stone path sparkled with the dew of the new morning. Bluebirds chirped several yards away, littering the yard with nature's music. The sky appeared to be the most intense shade of blue Guinevere had seen in all of her seventeen years. She turned her face to the autumn sun, spreading her eyes wide and she made her way down the path.

"Gwen! Don't forget the nails for you father," her mother's voice rang out, shattering the serenity of the morning.

The girl rolled her eyes. "Yes, Ma!" she called back. She waved behind her and ran on.

"Stop running, Guinevere! Young ladies do not run."

Gwen sighed, fighting exasperation. She heeded her mother, but not for long. As soon as she rounded the small wall of stone that marked the edge of their property and disappeared into the woods, she rolled her skirt up, revealing the loose leggings she always wore, and tied it snuggly into the sash at her waist. Letting her hair out of her floppy straw hat, she looked for the nearest fruit tree.

Delighted to find the apple tree, she heaved herself into its branches to eat her breakfast. Savoring the apple's sweet nectar, she picked a few more and settled them in her skirt pocket. After having eaten her fill, she jumped down and raced down the path toward town.

She slowed down at the first view of the village square. She untied her skirt and let the heavy cloth drape around her ankles. Her hat was once again pinned into her hair by the time she stepped from the forest shade. Morning activities were well underway as she made her way through the bustling crowds. Gwen smiled and waved at people she knew, searching for no one in particular.

Someone called her name. "Gwen! Gwen, over here."

She pushed her way over to a lonely stand on the side of the street. "Getting an early start today, Kiersten?" Gwen leaned on the stands long counter.

The small blonde before her returned her grin. "Yeah, Papa wanted by to be the first out today. No matter how much I try, though, I can't get him to believe that no body is out before dawn." Kiersten yawned. Gwen grinned as she heard her jaw crack. "All I want to do is sleep." The older girl tried to look glum but the natural curve of her mouth made it impossible for those watching to take the frown seriously.

Gwen chuckled. "Selling anything new today? Any nails?"

Kiersten stepped back, taking inventory of her small stand. She reached below the counter. "Well, we've got…"

"Hello, ladies."

Gwen and Kiersten both turned to look. A tall brown haired young sauntered down the lane, chomping down on a hunk of steaming bread. Gwen hoped whatever he had in the pouch slung over his shoulder just happened to be as warm and bread like as what he held in his hand.

"What no good mornings for a fellow? Too early in the morning?" His voice had the rich and smooth tone of a boy not long after his youth.

"Good morning, Dom," the girls chorused.

"And how are we this fine morning?" Gwen added, echoing his flowery tone.

Dom winked at her. "Dependable." Reaching into his pouch he produced two steaming rolls. "Fresh from the oven. Ma even gives her 'hello' with theses ones."

Gwen and Kiersten laughed, taking the offered pastries. "You're mother is a lifesaver," Kiersten sighed, taking a large bite. "I haven't had breakfast yet."

"That's what I was counting on," Dom replied, not looking at her. His gaze was on Gwen. He gestured to his mother's shop down the lane. "I've got to head back. Ma's putting me back to work. But, uh, feel free to stop by at any time." He waved good-bye and the girls chorused a good-bye as they watched his back disappear into the growing morning crowds.

Gwen watched him go. "He was a bit odd at the end there, don't you think?"

Kiersten just laughed. "Oh, he's got it bad."

Gwen turned to her friend. "Got what bad?"

Kiersten raised a brow incredulously. "Don't tell me you can't see how sweet he is on you?"

Gwen scoffed at the idea. "Me 'n Dom are best friends. We aren't allowed to sweet on each other."

Kiersten crossed her arms. "Dom obviously doesn't see it that way."

Gwen rolled her eyes. "Dom and I…"

"Would be perfect for each other! Why can't you see that?" Kiersten interjected.

Gwen waved her arms exasperatedly. "I have to pick up some nails for Dad. I'd rather be doing that than listening to you ramble about something that's nonexistent," she told Kiersten with a glare.

Her friend held up her hands in surrender. "All right. We'll talk about something else. But I still maintain that you and…"

Gwen made a move to leave, but Kiersten grabbed her arm. "Okay, okay. I get it. We won't talk about it."  
Gwen scowled. "Thank you." She shoved the last of her bread into her mouth.

Kiersten watched her for a moment, searching for another topic. Her gaze lit on the bulge of her friend's pocket. "You got any more apples?"

* * *

After visiting with Kiersten a while longer, Gwen quickly finished her shopping, picking up much needed nails for her father. Finally, she made her way back down the path in the woods. A bluebird in a tree caught her attention half way from town and she stopped to admire it. The air smelled sweet and pure. She breathed deeply, letting herself relax for the first time since speaking with Kiersten about Dom.

Gwen couldn't believe that words that had come from her friend's mouth. She and Dom had known each other since they had played in their diapers together. Albeit, Dom was two years older than she, but that hadn't stopped their friendship. That's all it is, Gwen thought furiously, a friendship. Plain and simple.

A twig snapped behind her and the blue bird flew off, whistling its song as it went. Gwen whirled.

"Oh, it's only you, Dom," she breathed a sigh of relief. She scowled and pretended to punch him, her thoughts and Kiersten's words echoing in her head. "Why do you always have to sneak up on me like that?"

Dom grinned, punching her pack. "Because it's a lot of fun, and besides, why, if I do it so often, do you still fall for it?" He winked at her.

Gwen laughed, all tension since that morning ebbing away. Same old Dom. "What are you doing here?" She let him lead the way back to her home. "Didn't you say your mom wanted your help in the bakery?"

Dom nodded. "I have been sent on a mission to retrieve your mother's recipe on Apple Dumplings. Mom wants to make some for her friend who's due to have a baby any day now in the next village." He paused, and then glanced her way. "Is you father ready for the festival coming up?

Gwen groaned. "That's all Dad has been talking about, and everyone else, too, including Jacie." Gwen's oldest sister was expecting her second child in a few weeks, but every day she was out with their father and her husband working on a multitude of inventions. "It's so boring around the house theses days. Even Neal is obsessed with it all." She kicked at the leaves and sticks around her feet.

"And how are you brothers and sister?" He held a branch back so she could pass through."

"Thank you. Well, Jacie is doing fine, so is Jason. Delia keeps expecting Prince Charming to show up at her doorstep and whisker her away to a happily ever after." She put a hand to her forehead in a dramatic impersonation of her older sister. "Rose and her husband, Eric, are busy running after their twins. Kelsey keeps climbing trees and scraping up her knees to save lost kittens and such. You know how she is."

Dom laughed. "I do. She's forever playing the family here isn't she?"

Gwen smiled back. "Well, she does have a way with animals." She paused for a moment. "Neal has taken to Dad's inventions quite spectacularly. He's the only one in the family who has actually volunteered to take up the family business. He seems to have real knack for inventing."

"So how are you doing?"

Gwen blinked at the unexpected question. "Well, I'll the youngest of seven. I'm pretty much left to myself most of the time. A blessing to be sure. The only one who really bothers me is Mom. She has a sixth sense where I'm concerned."

They fell into companionable silence and walked quietly beside each other for some times, savoring the quiet before reaching home.

* * *

"Hey, it's still early, Gwen," Dom quipped, breaking the silence. "What do you say about a little swim in our pond over there?"

Gwen glanced across the path and smiled with longing. The pond lay about twenty yards away from the path. Surrounded by brush, it was invisible to passerby, except by those who knew where it was.

She shook her head, holding her father's package of nails. "No, Dom. I have to be back home soon and Mom will kill me if I come home soaked again." She sighed and began to move away. "Maybe tomorrow."

Gwen missed the mischievous twinkle in Dom's eyes, turning away just before he reached to grab her package.

"Dom!" she cried. "Give it back!"

He jumped out of her way, grinning maniacally.

_If he were any other boy I'd slap him!_ Gen thought as she scowled and grabbed at the package.

"Aw, come on, Genie!" he pleaded, using that awful childhood nickname. "Let's go swimming. Please?" He let his bottom lip protrude in a ridiculous pout.

"Dom! Not the puppy face pout!" She covered her face, trying, and failing, not to laugh.

Hearing her laughter, he shoved her package under a bush and scooped her up. He kept a tight hold on her as she screamed with mock anger and struggled to loose herself from his grip. Dom walked over to the pond. Standing at the edge, he leaned over as much as he dared. This action forced her to stop struggling lest he drop her, clothes and all.

"How much do you love me, Gwen?" he teased.

"Lots and lots! Now put me down!"

Dom clicked his teeth together. "I don't like that answer," he said sadly. "I though you loved me, Genie."

"Stop that awful nickname, Dominic!" He dropped his arms slightly. "NO! Dom, I do! I promise I do. Let me go and I'll love you forever!"  
"Really?" He thought about it for a moment and nodded. "Okay." Opening his arms he dumped her into the pond.

Nearly seeing red with anger, Gwen came to the surface chocking and sputtering. Glaring at Dom, she wiped the water from her eyes. Sudden and sweet, a smile grew over her face. "Help me out, Dom. This water's cold."

Dom shook his head. "You don't need help." He eyed her suspiciously. He didn't like that smile. When she shivered, he sighed and went to help her out.

With a sudden grin, she gripped his wrist with both hands and pulled with all her might, hurling him over her head and into the pond.

Together they laughed and splashed and swan until the sun was high overhead.

"Dom!" Gwen cried a while later. "Look at the sun! Mom is going to kill me!" She scrambled for the bank and tried to hurl herself out of the pool. The muddy bank gave way under her weight and she fell back into Dom's arms. Suddenly, she was all too aware of the hard, muscular chest at her back and strong arms supporting her arms and waist. His grip on her was gentle yet she could feel the power of him. Gwen relaxed for just a second.

"Don't be in such a hurry next time," Dom murmured next to her ear. Her conversation with Kiersten earlier than day replayed itself in her mind. She scrambled away, blushing furiously.

"Dom, where'd you put Dad's package?" She searched in the brush for the nails.

"Hmm. I don't recall." He called, laughing, as he hoisted himself out of the pond."

"Dominic, this is not funny! Mom's going to murder me for being late, let alone swimming, when I was supposed to be doing errands." She was harsher than she'd intended, but her mind was whirling in a way she didn't want to think about.

"Alright, alright. It's over here." Dom moved some brush aside and tossed the package to her.

She glared at him.

Laughing at her annoyance, he dove back into the pond for a last swim. Gwen shook her head over the arrogance of young men. She turned swiftly and walked down the path. When Dom didn't follow her, her scowl slowly turned to one of concern. Had Dom come out of the pond? Where was he?

"Dom? You can come out now." No answer. "Dom?" She walked back over to the pond. "Dom? Where are you? This is no time for jokes!" Only the birds answered her call. "Dominic!"

"ROOAARRR!"

Gwen screamed and fell backward toward the pool. Dom caught her arm and pulled her to him. Trembling, she clutched at his dripping shoulders. Remembering, she pulled away and slugged him, trying not to think about how wonderful his skin had felt against hers.

"Ouch! What was that for?"

"For scaring the life out of me! So help me, Dom, I'll hit you again!"

"Alright, please, no more. My poor shoulder can only take so much." He offered a hand. "Truce?"

Gwen was skeptical. "No more pranks? You know, we aren't children anymore, Dom."

Something flickered in Dom's eyes. "No more pranks," he confirmed quietly. He held out a hand. Gwen took it tentatively, removing the scowl from her pretty face. "Now," he continued, "let's get going. We can't have your mother killing you."

Gwen laughed, letting the tension and confusion melt away. She fell into step beside Dom and they resumed their trek home.


	2. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

"Guinevere! Swimming?" Gwen's mother, Sara, raised her hands in mock surrender. "What am I going to do with you? You're nearly eighteen years old and you've ruined more clothes now than when you were younger!" Sara grabbed a handful of Gwen's muddy and slightly torn skirt.

"Mom, I was just swimming with Dom. I didn't do anything wrong," she retorted.

Sara waved a finger at her. "You may not have done anything wrong, but you most certainly didn't do anything befitting to your age."

Gwen sighed. This was an argument she wasn't mean to win. She placed the package of nails on the corner table and began to head to her room.

"Don't you walk away from me, Guinevere," her mother snapped. "I'm not finished yet."

Clenching her teeth, Gwen fisted her hands at her side and turned back to her mother. She glared at Sara, just barely refraining from talking back.

Sara must have sense Gwen's inner struggle, for she narrowed her eyes and waved a dishtowel at her. "Don't give me that attitude, Gwen." Sara sighed. Shaking her head, she took a seat in a chair. "If you were married right now, this wouldn't have happened," she muttered mournfully.

Gwen swallowed, only just holding onto her control. "Don't start that again." When her mother gave her an imploring nonplussed glance, she shed her control and raised her voice. "Look at Delia and Kelsey. Both are older than me and neither are married." Understanding flooded Sara's gaze. She opened her mouth to say something, but Gwen plowed ahead.

"Do you know how hypocritical you sound when you talk about me getting married? Two of my sisters are as of yet unmarried yet you insist that I take vows they haven't!" Gwen took a breath, fighting tears. She hated having this argument. Again Her temper cooled and she thought back over the conversation. She flushed at her outburst. "Besides," she said softly, striving for a lighter note, "none of the local young men are too immature. All they think about is..." She glanced at her mother who gave her a knowing glance. Gwen blushed. "I'm not interested in anything like that. Not yet."

Sara's gaze softened. She put a hand on Gwen's arm, pulling into a chair beside her. "What about Dom?" Seeing Gwen's exasperated glance, she continued. "I mean, hey, you have fun with him, you talk about him or to him quite a lot. You two are around each other nearly every day, for Pete's sake."

Gwen shook her head. "Don't drag Dom into this, Mom. He's my best friend. That's it."

Sara smiled at her daughter's blush, wondering what thoughts were causing it. "Alright, sweet. We'll leave this be for now." She stood, smoothing her apron. "I bake fresh cakes."

"You know you're not going to win me over with food, right?"

Sara laughed. "I know." She gave her daughter a wink. "We've already tried that." She uncovered a large plate and handed Gwen a large piece of chocolate cake."

Gwen took it grudgingly and nibbles contentedly on the soft chocolate. She sat still for a moment before deciding to broach the subject once again, from a different angle. "Mom, why do you want me to get married so quickly?"

Sara sighed and sat down again, leaving a large black pot holding supper to simmer over the fire. "You, Gwen, are the youngest of seven. Five of you are still living at home. Jason turns twenty-six in a few weeks. Delia and Kelsey are getting older, not saying they're old, as well. Neal isn't that far behind." At the confused look on Gwen's face, Sara waved her hand, brushing away far away thoughts.

"What I'm trying to say is that your father and I are getting along in years and we can't support all you forever." Gwen frowned. "Oh, don't think, dear, that we're trying to kick you out. Your father and I love each and every one of you so very much." She smoothed a hand over Gwen's long reddish blonde hair. "Try to understand."

Gwen glanced down at her half-eaten cake. "Of course I understand, Mom," she assured her mother. Although, she wasn't sure that she did understand. Not fully.

Sara gave her arm a squeeze. "There now. Go down to the barn. Your father is waiting for those nails."

* * *

Gwen found her father bent over a long large table in the middle of his work end of the bar. Pieces of metal and wood and various tools littered the worktable, littered around him with organized chaos. A large leather apron wrapped around his waist and soot from the pot-bellied stove in the corner stained his breeches, cotton shirt, and any uncovered skin.

"Afternoon, Dad," she called cheerfully.

Henry glanced up from his work. "Good afternoon. "What are you doing down here?"

Gwen heard the unspoken statement: she never entered the work area of the barn unless she was forced to. She grinned and held out the package. "I came to bring you your nails." Henry gladly took them as Gwen glanced around. "Do you need some help?" she asked after a moment.

"What do you think, Gwen?" Henry put down his tools, and slid out of his apron. The outline of soot on his breeches was quite comical.

Gwen glanced at the table. A large rubber roller was attached to a flat metal box. Small ditches near the top ran the length of the box allowed the roller to move back and forth with ease. Little square blocks of wood were littered across the table. Gwen picked up a few and found, backward, beautiful, and intricately carved letters. A carton of black ink and a stack of stiff paper sat neatly nearby.

"What is it, Dad?"

Henry scratched his head. "I'm not sure what to call it, yet. But it's for making up posters and documents of the kingly and noble sort and such. So thinks don't got to be hand written anymore."

Gwen couldn't imagine such a thing. "Can you show me?"

"Sure, sweet." He rounded the corner of the table, grabbing the letters and a couple sheets of paper. "Hold on one second while I get this thing set up."

Gwen gladly moved out of his way.

Henry paused. He turned to her. "What should it say?"

Gwen smiled and shrugged. "Oh, I don't know. Surprise me."

Henry nodded. "Okay, then. One surprise document, coming right up."

Carefully Henry placed the letters gently in place on the metal tray. Taking a thick paintbrush, he dipped it in the black ink and quickly painted letter after letter. Making sure the letters were secured tightly, he places a sheet of paper between the blocks of wood and the rubber roller. Pulling the roller down, he pushed it back and forth, applying pressure. After a few strokes, he let up. Peeling the paper away from the blocks, he blew on it lightly. Holding it out to Gwen, she took the finished product and grinned.

"Daddy, this is really amazing!" The letters were clear and concise, revealing her full name in beautiful writing. She laughed delightedly. "You're sure to win at the fair!"

Henry blushed at his daughter's praise.

* * *

The next night, the first day of the second season of the Beltane, Henry and Sara invited their neighbors over to celebrate Henry's completion of what he called, 'the printer.' With them came Dom and his family, including his two younger sisters. Lilly and Faye corned Gwen quickly in the kitchen, bursting with some kind of gossip or another. Throughout the night, Gwen would catch Dom watching her. She'd grin and roll her eyes. He would smile back and drag his gaze from hers. She couldn't get her conversation with Kiersten out of her head.

Throughout the night, she tried, in vain, to separate herself from Lilly and Faye, but the younger girls were like leeches. Gwen couldn't bring herself to refuse them. The night was filled with dancing and laughter and a lot of food. When the group gathered around a large bonfire, Gwen actually found herself beginning to have a good time. Until Faye suggested that all the young people perform 'the jump.'

Gwen blanched when she heard this. She'd avoided the ritual for years. Twice a year, mid-spring and mid-autumn, a young man would seize the girl he loves by the hand and together they would make the jump over low burning coals. If they landed on the other side, still holding hands, their life would be one of prosperity and many healthy children. If their grasp broke, their relationship wasn't meant to be.

It was a simply silly superstition, one that Gwen didn't share. But…still…one could never be sure. She didn't want to risk it.

"Oh," Sara clapped her hands. "That sounds like a lovely idea." She glanced sideways at her husband. "You know, Henry and I made the jump long ago." She linked her hands through his arm. "As you can see, it worked."

The group of three families laughed. Gwen glanced around; she was amazed that so many families could get together and sit down at one time. Dom, of course, and his entire family were there. Jacie and her husband with their small son sat to the right of Gwen's parents. Rose and Eric sat on the other side, gazing into each other's eyes. Gwen didn't know if either of her sisters had jumped the coals. She turned her gaze away. She wasn't sure if she wanted to know.

The local blacksmith, longtime friends with Henry, and his family occupied the space opposite the fire. Gwen didn't know him all that well. Also in attendance were a few young men from town, swains bent on gaining Delia and Kelsey's attention.

Gwen caught Dom's gaze. The low burning flame turned his skin a most appealing bronze and his dark eyes glittered with an emotion Gwen didn't want to think about.

_Yes,_ she thought, _it was better just to ignore it._ But she found she couldn't. Her gaze remained locked with Dom's until he came to stand before her. He held out a hand. "Will you jump with me, Gwen?"

Her heart plummeted. Kiersten was right! Dom did have feeling for her. Gwen bit her lip. How could they remain friends if one wanted something the other couldn't give?

Gwen started to shake her head, but found that her hand was already clasped in Dom's and he was already leading her to join the other young couples. She tugged on Dom's hand. "Dom, I don't know," she whispered frantically.

Dom gave her hand a comforting squeeze. "Don't worry about it, Gwen. It's just a silly ritual." The carefree tone of his voice set Gwen at ease. So, Dom didn't put much store in such rituals either. Gwen sighed with relief. It was their turn by the time that Dom hadn't let go of her hand yet.

There was still time to stop this. "Dom!"

Dom turned to her, with a grin. "Come on, Gwen. It'll be fun. I haven't hung out with you all night and now that we get a chance to doing something interesting, you're going to bail on me?"

Gwen couldn't stop the smile that spread from the corners of her mouth. She took a deep breath. "Alright. Here we go." Dom winked at her and they both turned their attention to the flame. Dom squeezed her hand and they ran. Suddenly they were in the air and the ground came rushing up toward them.

Gwen stumbled, but Dom never let go of her hand and pulled her against him, steadying her. He held her hand between them, triumph glittering in his eyes. He turned to the crowd and held their clasped hands high.


	3. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three**

Three days after their jump of the fires of Beltane, Gwen and Dom had decided to take a trail ride through the many acres of land on Gwen's family's property. To surprise her, Dom had brought a picnic lunch, complete with bite-sized chocolate cakes. They had stopped just after noon, beneath a large oak tree that had often served as a private getaway when they were children. They'd tethered the horses in the adjoining field where they could keep a close eye on them.

Gwen sat up against the hard trunk of the oak. She stared down at the crisp dark blue blanket beneath her and the food before her: chocolate cake, lemonade, and fresh cut meat between slices of his mother's famous bread. Dom had let her chose where they were to ride, to set the pace, and to choose where they would take their noonday meal. He was considerate and made her laugh with every other sentence. She frowned, watching him lay, his eyes closed, basking in the sun. For all outward show, Dom appeared to be courting her.

Hadn't he always acted like this? Gwen shook her head. Not when they were children. Then when had he changed? When had she changed?

"Dom?"

"Hmmm?"

Gwen rolled over beside him in the grass. She stared up at the periwinkle sky and the billowy clouds that marred its surface. "Do you ever think about the future?"

Dom opened one eye to glance at her. He swallowed the lump in his throat before answering. "Sure, all the time." He sat up, leaning on his elbows. "Why?"

Gwen sat up and brushed the grass from her back. She cleared her throat. She wasn't really sure why she had asked. Racking her brain, she finally answered, "Uh, Mom keeps badgering me to get married." She sighed.

Dom fought to keep his voice steady. "You don't want to?"

Gwen glanced at him. "No, not right away. I mean, I have my whole life in front of me. I want to travel outside of our little town, or start my own business, or do…something." She began to pick the daisies that grew at the base of the tree. "I want to see the world before I'm old and know nothing but my father's lands." Avoiding Dom's glance, she wove the white and yellow daisies into a crown. She took the pins from her hair and let it fall down her back. Placing the crown on her head, she stood and flung her arms out to the sides. And then she spun.

Dom couldn't take his eyes from her. She was beautiful. He nearly lost his breath every time he was near her. Her long brown hair shimmered in waves almost to her waist. The dress she wore gleamed yellow as the buttercups littering the field. Dom grinned, noting how it complemented her feminine figure. The dress's skirts billowed gracefully around her as she spun.

Why had she begun to speak about the future? It had surprised him. Was she still thinking about Beltane? Dom knew he was. He couldn't get it out of his head. Now, he wasn't one for superstition, but he hoped that this tale was true. Their hands had held. They were destined for a life together.

But Gwen wouldn't see that. He'd tried over the last couple years to show her how much he really cared, but…she hadn't, or wouldn't, see it. Yet, Dom knew he was a patient man. He would wait. As long as it took.

Dizzy beyond belief, Gwen dropped to the ground and laid there, her head spinning. Dom stood and walked over to her. A smile lit her face as she scrunched her eyes against the dizziness. The daisy crown had fallen off and Dom retrieved it silently. He stood over her, waiting for her to open her eyes.

She did, finally, and the look in her eyes sent shivers down his spine. Did she finally feel the way he did? But she blinked, and then it was gone. He held out his hand and pulled her up. He placed the crown atop her head and she staggered a bit and caught fast to his arm, giggling. He hooked his arm around her waist to steady her. She leaned into him and suddenly her arms were around his neck.

She laid her head against his chest and began to cry.

Dom pulled away slightly and cupped her face, wiping her tears away with his thumbs. He was done playing the best friend role. He wanted this young woman as his wife, and, life, he was going to act like it. "Gwen, sweet, what's wrong? Are you alright?"

"Everything," she sobbed into his shirt, "everything."

"What…" he began.

"Just everything. Mom and marriage and you at Beltane and Kiersten…" she stopped, suddenly afraid she'd said too much. She sniffled, but wouldn't let go of Dom. "I have no freedom anymore. I miss being a child. I miss just being with you and going swimming every day without a care in the world."

"We still can, Gwen. We're not that old." Dom slipped his hand to the back of her neck and dug his fingers in her thick hair. He pulled her back to him, wrapping his arms around her.

"I'm so glad you're here, Dom," she whispered.

He paused. It was a start. "Me to, Gwen. Me too."

* * *

The next week, just after noon, Henry and Dom's father Mitchell, left for the 56th Annual Inventor's Fair. The two families, being friends for over five generations, gathered together for the farewell. Henry and Mitchell would travel together until the road forked some miles down the road. From there, Mitchell would bear right to visit a distant cousin before continuing on to the fair. That left Henry to take the other road and take the famed shortcut to the host's castle. The two would meet up again there.

Sara helped load her husband's printer onto the cart pulled by Aral, Gwen's dapple-gray mare. Deanne did the same for her husband. The farewell was quick.  
The party waved good-bye as the two men set out to find their fortune. They waved until they were out of sight, the group they left behind silent and still, praying for their safety. For dangerous was the journey to other lands.

"Come, everyone!" Sara called suddenly. "My daughters and I have prepared you a meal. Please feel free to join us." The children ran to be first in line for Sara's famous country pork. The others followed at a leisurely pace, speaking of their wishes for Henry and Mitchell's good fortune.

Instead of joining in the festivities, or helping Sara and Deanne with the children, Dom and Gwen snuck off into the woods for a last swim before winter set in. Gwen made sure she brought an extra set of clothes. She didn't want her mother ribbing her again.

The cool pool water and Dom's company refreshed Gwen after a morning of baking in a hot kitchen with her sisters. Their endless squabble about fashion and suitors bored Gwen to death. The lazy day also helped ease the tension between them. Ever since Gwen's confession, albeit a guarded one, the week before, Dom had tried to keep his distance. Gwen had misinterpreted such and action as him trying to avoid her, until she confronted him and he assured her that was not the case.

The two hadn't spoken of it since then, and Gwen wasn't about to bring it again.

"What's the prize this year?" she asked, floating on her back.

Dom swam in lazy circles around her. "The foremost invention receives three thousand silver nobles," his voice was ablaze with wonder.

Gwen gasped and lost her balance in the water. "Three thousand? Why that's more than Dad makes in an entire year!"

Dom grinned. "Same with my dad."

Gwen watched him. "Do you think…either of them could win?"

Dom thought a moment. "Sure. They have as much chance as anyone." His expression closed for a moment, losing the joy it had exhibited a moment earlier.

"Dom? What is it?"

Dom frowned, his mouth open as if he was about to say something. He glanced around. "Gwen? Do you feel that?"

"Feel what?" She stopped swimming and treaded the water.

"Something…" Dom turned this way and that, reminding Gwen of someone lost. "The air…it's thicker. I can actually feel it settling on my shoulders." His whispered words made Gwen shudder.

"It's well past noon, Dom," she whispered too, "The air always get thicker as the sun sets."

Dom shook his head. "This is something else. Listen."

Gwen swam over the bank and hauled herself up. The layers of clothing she wore clung to her body, but for once she didn't notice. "You're right," she whispered. She actually felt the weight of the air on her shoulders. An invisible mist hung in the air, like a poison. There was no breeze, yet the trees swayed back and forth. No sound from anything. Dom swam toward her, but the water made no noise. Gwen stilled in fear. Something wasn't right.

"Let's go back," Dom ordered, hauling her up with him.

"Like this?"

"Something is wrong, Gwen. Something bad."

"I can feel it too."

"Then let's go."

Quickly, without any sound, they were out of the pool and running back to Gwen's home.

Dom reached the house a second before Gwen. "Is everything okay in here?"

Gwen's breathing was heavy as she surveyed the perfectly normal act of cleaning up the noon meal.

Deanne looked over her son. "Yes, Dom. Why wouldn't it be?"

Gwen and Dom exchanged glances, their eyes wide with fear.

Sara stepped forward. "Why are you two soaking wet?"

Gwen and Dom stared at each other. What had happened?

"We were swimming," Dom said hastily, and a little too loudly. "Come on, Gwen. Let's go get cleaned up." He grabbed her arm and led her away.

"Dom. Something is very wrong. I can feel in my bones."

"It's okay, Gwen. Whatever it is, we'll get through it together."


	4. Chapter Four

**To my reviewers**

**Kitty-at-heart - thank so incredibly much...i hope you enjoy reading it as much as i enjoy writing it**

**LaurieH - thanks for the tips! enjoy**

**Aedyn Star - yeah Dom is pretty sweet...as for Gwen's background...she lives in a village...lol...maybe it's just me...but people who live in a village aren't usuallyall that wealthy...**

**

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ON WITH THE SHOW...**

**Chapter Four**

Three weeks passed and the quality of the air didn't lessen in thickness, a thickness that only seemed to affect Gwen and Dom. They were together as often as they could be, silently protecting one another. On the third day of the fourth week, frantic, hoof beats drew the guests from Gwen's house.

Mitchell, grim, and weary, hadn't stopped his horse when he was on the ground. His face fell even further as he eyed the crowd, rushing toward Sara. He grabbed her by the shoulders. "Where's Henry? Is Henry here?"

Sara eyed him. "No, Mitch. He's at the fair. He's not due home for another week."

"He's not here?" Mitchell's eyes widened. He cleared his throat and took Sara's hands. He sighed and closed his eyes wearily. "Henry…never made it to the fair."

Sara took her hands from his. "What?"

Mitchell rubbed his eyes. "He never made it."

Sara put a hand on her chest. Gwen watched with horror. Sara's speech faltered as she said, "Wha…what do you mean? Where could he have gone?"

Deanne stepped forward. "What are you saying, Mitchell?"

He held out his hands, palms, pleading. "I looked everywhere for him. He never showed up at the fairgrounds. I couldn't find him, not even a trace."  
Sara glared at her husband's companion. "Where is he?" She violently shrugged off Deanne's comforting hand on her shoulder.

A tear slid down Mitchell's weathered face. "Sara, I don't know."

* * *

Late that night, after tears were shed and every possibility overturned, Gwen and Dom met behind her father's barn.

"Dom, what are we going to do?" Gwen paced back and forth, biting her nails. Her heart pounded painfully in her chest. "Mama can't leave the farm."

"What about Jason or Eric?" Dom watched her with solemn eyes. Henry had been like a second father to him. There had to be something he could do.

Gwen shook her head. "Jason is heading north and Eric will take a westward route, but…but neither of them is taking the route he took to the fair." She sat down on a nearby hay bale heavily. "I just don't feel right about that." She laid her head in her hands, tears slipping down her cheeks.

Dom hated hearing the despair in her voice. He sat down next to her, and placed a hand on her shoulder. Shaking, she leaned in his embrace. She turned and buried her face in his shoulder, wrapping her arms around his neck. He closed his eyes and rested his lips against her hair. Suddenly, he was hit with an idea.

Without pulling away, he asked softly, "What if I went, Gwen?"

Gwen pushed herself out of her arms. She stood, sniffling, and waving her arms emphatically. "No! No, Dom. I can't let you do that."

Dom frowned. "I can't take the exact route your father took, tracing his footsteps."

Gwen shook her head. "No, Dom. Please, I mean, what if you get lost? What if something happens to you?" Her voice strained past the lump in her throat.

Dom stood and went to her and took her hands in his own. "Gwen, I can find him. I promise. I promise," he enunciated, "I'll find him. Please." He brushed a stray hair back from her eyes. "Let me go look for your father."

Gwen stared up at him with wide eyes. His green eyes glowed in the moonlight and Gwen couldn't think past the tingle from his hands against hers. She swallowed hard. Slowly she nodded. She shrugged. "Bring him home, Dom." A single tear streaked down her cheek.

"Dom brushed away with his thumb. "I'll leave at dawn. Meet me here, then. No one need know."

Gwen nodded reluctantly and turned. Facing the moon, she shivered and said, "He's out there, Dom. I can feel it."

* * *

Dawn came too early for Gwen. She woke quietly as the first rays of sunshine streamed in through her window. She groaned softly, and pushed back her coverlet, placing her feet on the cold wooden floor. Dressing silently, she made her way to the kitchen, passing her parent's room with silent feet.

Grabbing the saddlebags she had hidden underneath the stove, she filled it with bread, cheese, and dried fruit, and a large water skin. She wrote a quick note to her family, telling them she'd gone to town for an early start. After placing it where she knew they would see it, she races out the door, lifting her skirt as she ran to meet Dom.

He was waiting silently for her, grooming his family's gelding behind the barn. She reached him, winded and tense. The saddlebag bulged with its contents. He grinned at the sight of her. As she neared, however, she saw the anxiety in his green eyes and the frown in his forehead.

Dom gestured toward the saddlebag. "You expecting me to be gone for a year?"

Gwen blushed. "I didn't know how…how long you'd be gone." She giggled nervously. "I think I packed the entire kitchen." She tried a smile.

"I won't be long." Dom tried for optimism, but by the look on her face he knew he'd failed miserably. He cleared his throat and put the curry comb away and finished saddling his gelding. Turning back to her, he sighed. The look on her face just about broke his heart.

"I'm sorry, Gwen. I'll bring him back." He smiled. "I promised, remember?" He held out his arms and she went into them gratefully.

"It's not just that, Dom. You're going to be gone for…who knows how long." She glanced down at her feet. Suddenly she was very interested in the leather lacing up her shoes. "I, uh, I'll miss you. A lot."

"I'll miss you too, sweet."

Gwen looked up at the nickname. Her gaze caught with his and she found she couldn't look away. Her heart pounded in her chest.

"I'll be back soon." He pulled away abruptly. Watching her face intently, he suddenly leaned forward and kissed her on the mouth. "I'll be back."

Mounting his horse, he trotted swiftly into the forest, down the very same path Henry had taken several weeks ago. Gwen watched him go, left with more than her missing father to think about.

* * *

Dom only stopped once to eat that morning. The small waterfall he found gave off a refreshing spray, cooling him against the hot autumn sun. He tethered his mare, Piper, and took a seat just out of reach of the waterfall's spray. He dug into the saddlebag Gwen had given him. With each bite he took of dried fruit or cheese, he felt the weight of his hasty decision.

Doubt seized his very being. Here he was on a wild goose chase trying to find a man who hadn't been seen in four weeks. Henry could have gone anywhere! And Dom was just supposed to scour the countryside until his last breath? What if Jason or Eric found him first? Or Henry made his way home on his own? How would Gwen get word to him way out here in the wilderness? He could be out here for years and never see another living soul. He bit into an orange, bitterness filling his mouth. Why had he agreed to do this?

Only one thought penetrated his mind: because he loved her. Dom sighed. He had loved Gwen for years ever since she'd gotten the nerve to get him back for one of the many pranks he'd pulled on her as children. She had dared him to walk the length of the barn – on the roof. Proud boy that he had been, he'd let the girl goad him. Halfway across the treacherous slope of the barn roof, a sound behind him startled him. He looked back over his shoulder to find that Gwen had followed him and was making her way across the roof toward him.

Fear for her safety had plummeted through him and he'd turned too swiftly. Dom fell as Gwen laughed. He'd fallen, as planned he later learned, into a large pile of hay. He had lain on his back for several minutes gazing up at Gwen as she stood solidly on the roof, clutching her stomach with laughter, her strawberry blonde hair turning gold with the glint of the setting sun.

He hadn't realized it then, but Dom couldn't pin point that very moment in his life. He'd fallen in love that day, with Gwen, his best friend.

She had never given any evidence that she felt the same way. In recent weeks, she had certainly softened toward him, giving Dom hope that they might still be able to forge a life together.

Dom put a hand to his mouth. He'd finally done what he'd been dreaming about for years and he hadn't even stayed long enough to see her reaction. Dom sighed and finished his meal. Gwen was counting on him to find her father. No sense in dwelling on what could only be solved once his mission was over.

Mounting his mare once again, he galloped swiftly through the dense forest. His father was forever warning him against it, but he knew this forest almost better than he knew his own lands. Stopping only once in late afternoon by a small stream refresh his horse, he couldn't help but notice that the air was becoming increasingly oppressive the farther he traveled through the trees. He traveled more quietly after that. Until he noticed something. Reigning in Piper, he dismounted. He hardly dared breathe.

Not a sound echoed in the trees. Everywhere he looked, not a bird stirred. In fact there were no birds. The trees blew in the wind, but Dom could feel no breeze. The sun gleamed through the branches, but created no shadows. The forest was deathly beautiful in it's distorted reality. Dom hardly dared to breath, lest he break the spell. No bird's song lit the air, no insect wing moved the autumn air, no deer skittered across his path.

He shook his head, trying to clear a sudden ringing in his ears. "What is going on around here?" he said a little too loudly. Suddenly alert, he spun around. Voices drifted through the branches, from all around. They whispered around him, with words he couldn't understand. The trees, lush with fruit and bright green leaves just a moment ago, suddenly died. The barks became twisted and black. The branches hung low and cracked, as if they had been dead for hundreds of years.

Piper snorted and reared in protest. The reins were flung from Dom's hand and in his haste to grab them up again, he fell face first into the dirt. Cursing under his breath, he tried to follow the horse, but found his legs were too heavy to move. He couldn't even move his arms. He lay there in the dirt, breathing heavily as fear pinpricked his very soul.

The forest air changed subtly. The heavy loneliness that had haunted his life for weeks dispersed, leaving an ominous blanket of evil across the forest canopy. A sound, like the tinkling of bells and rushing water echoed in his brain. It was as if he hadn't heard them at all.

The sun suddenly dipped and glared Dom in the face. Suddenly, he could move again and he scrambled away until his back was up against a tree. The sun followed so closely he felt he could reach out and touch it, for all its blinding glare.

As quickly as if had appeared, it was gone and a woman, the tallest woman he had ever seen, stood before him.

"Who…who are you?" Dom whispered after a moment. Snow began to fall. _But it's only autumn,_ he thought faintly.

The woman smiled as if she had heard Dom's thoughts. Her skin was perfectly white, too white, too perfect to be human. Her full lips were as blood red as the deepest rose. Her blonde hair, flowing as if in water around her, almost touched the ground and her sapphire eyes pierced him.

"You…" she began.

Dom raised a trembling hand to shield his eyes against the light that flowed from her. "I come looking for Gwen's father. He came this way."

The woman raised a single brow. "An old man passed this way long ago." Her voice sounded like rocks, beaten by ocean waves. "Perhaps it he for who you search."

Dom stared wide-eyed, unsure of what was happening. "Where is he?"

"You are not welcome here," she answered. "Why should I let you pass?" She held out a hand and let it float there. Green light streamed from her fingertips. The light flowed through Dom's skin, in his eyes, in his nose and mouth until he couldn't breathe. He gasped and choked.

"I have…to find…him," he gasped out. He struggled to stay awake. He was tired, so tired. He heard something growl.

The woman gripped his chin with her long fingered hand and held it fast, forcing him to look into her eyes. "Three hundred years have passed since I was placed in this realm," she cried, her eyes blazing. "I was forced to wait, watching as the portal between this world and yours shimmered and flickered until finally it was broken." She laughed harshly. "You fool humans, passing this way year after year, weakening its strength. How upset I was to find that the one who finally broke the portal's power was a being that I couldn't trade life forces with. No, he was too old."

She reached with her free hand to stroke Dom's hair. Shards of pain slashed his body from his head to his toes. "Now, thanks to you, I have finally been set free. I do not know what Fate has for you. Your Fate will be different from the one I was forced to serve, just as mine was different from the one before me. Now, I can return to the world, free at last to die in peace."

She looked him over, an odd, frightening look in her eye. "My keeper has granted me one wish, before I die. My wish is this – to leave you, my dear," The endearment came out like a curse, "to leave you suffering ten fold what I had to endure. Kept away from civilization, awaiting the day my _true love_ would set me free," she snarled.

Faint flickers of his own mind pushed through the fog that had enveloped him. Dom couldn't believe what he was hearing. He'd heard tales of this forest, of wicked forest fairies, of a long forgotten kingdom, but he had never put much store in legends. This couldn't be happening!

"Oh, yes, my dear, it is happening," the woman spat. The force of her grip tightened with a jolt of pain that forced all thought from his mind. Energy flowed from her hand and through Dom. He writhed it pain; it was eating him alive! Pain flowed through his body, tearing, wrenching, distorting.

As the pain finally, blessedly, flowed away, Dom opened his eyes. The woman still stood over him, holding out a long-stemmed blood red rose. "I give this to you," she snarled and thrust it into his suddenly outstretched arm, "This same perfect rose that has held me captive. It will bloom eternally." She paused. Dom couldn't take his eyes from her.

"It will bloom until your true love sets foot in your castle. After she does," she shrugged, her face twisted with malice, "who knows what might happen." She leaned down to whisper in his ear, grabbing a handful of hair, "Don't count on it." She thrust him away. He fell, hitting his head with a smack.

The woman closed her eyes. The blackened ground shook violently, and with a thrust of her arms, a great castle made from the purest of ebony escaped from the earth. Its towers and foreboding form loomed over the enchantress and the peasant boy. She turned steel eyes to the boy cowering at her feet.

"The portal opens, the earth, it dies. Poor little human – no time for good-byes." The woman's laugh rang out through the trees and Dom's eyes widened in fear. He stared helpless as she shoved him back and screamed, "Unless you find someone, my dear, who loves you for the hideous creature that you have become, forever will you remain a beast."


	5. Chapter Five

**BEAUTY MEETS THE BEAST

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To me reviewers:

**Aedyn Star: thanks so much...i hope you enjoy what's to come**

**supersleuth: i'm glad you liked it!**

**kyra-maRia: i hope it lives up to expectations! lol**

**Kadesh: thanks! keep reading!**

**Masked Dragonfly: i'm so glad you enjoyed it! Beauty and the Beast is my all time fairy tale!**

**_Okay...now here's a nice looong chapter for you guys...it'sgift for making you wait for the next chapter_****

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Chapter Five**

Nervously biting her nails, Gwen paced the kitchen floor.

"Gwen," Sara spoke firmly, "stop pacing like that. You're making me dizzy."

"Sorry, Ma," she muttered, already on her way out of the kitchen.

"Is anything the matter?" Sara watched her youngest daughter leaved hurriedly. _What has gotten into her?_

Gwen tried the barn, but her brothers were in there, building new stalls for the colts that had bid for at an auction in town yesterday. She slipped away silently, and returned to the house. She walked slowly up the stairs, itching for quiet. The dim of her sister's chatter met her ears and she immediately turned around and walked back down.

She had so much energy she felt as though she might explode! She steeled herself against the hammering of nails emanating from her father's workshop and went out behind the barn to the place she had last seen Dom. He'd been gone for two days. It wasn't an overly long time, but she hadn't lied when she'd said she'd miss him.

The brushes he'd used to groom Piper that morning still lay in the shade behind the hay bales. Gwen had never picked them up. She sat heavily on the hay, picking up the last brush she'd seen him touch. Running her hands along the handle, she strained for the feel of his skin against hers. When she realized what she was doing, she scoffed at herself, disgusted. She flung the brush away.

Dom wasn't in a stupid curry comb! Gwen sighed heavily, sliding to the ground. Leaned her head back, not caring if she got hay stuck in her hair, she closed her eyes and ran her hand along the grass. The dry stalks tickled her palm.

Her eyes still closed she moved her hand to her mouth, still able to feel Dom's kiss. She frowned. Why had he kissed her? They were just friends, right? Gwen opened her eyes again and looked around the field that stretched for several acres, broken only by the forest to the right and clusters of trees every once and a while.

Just friends. Or were they?

The crashing of branches caught her attention. Something big was scrambling through the woods. Dom! Gwen scrambled to her feet. The sounds became louder until suddenly, Piper burst through the tree line. The mare's hide was scratched and torn, and she was visibly shaking with exhaustion and terror. Her saddle hung limply under her belly, bumping against her legs.

"Piper!" Gwen cried in alarm. "Where's Dom?" The mare neighed ferociously, rearing as Gwen neared. Biting her lip, Gwen forced herself to calm down. There was no good in frightening an already terrified horse. "Shh, girl. It's okay." She clicked her tongue, soothing the mare with her words until the horse let her get close enough to touch. The whites of Piper's eyes showed intensely and she pranced in a nervous circle.

"Easy, girl. Easy." Letting her sniff her palm, Gwen unbuckled the saddle and let it drop to the ground. The horse shivered, her skin rippling with muscle.

"Where's Dom, girl? Huh? Where is he?" The horse offered no answer. "Take me to him," she whispered hoarsely. Dom could be hurt, could be lying dead somewhere! Her heart cried out. "Lead me to Dom," she spoke a little more forcefully, and led the mare to the nearby hay bales. Without hesitation, she bunched her skirts up around her waist and mounted her. Gathering the broken reins in both hands, she urged the horse back into the forest.

* * *

Sara glanced in the barn. Gwen wasn't there either. She'd searched the kitchen, her bedroom, the bathhouse, and now the barn. Her daughter was no where to be found. 

"Jason?"

"Yes, Mama?" He looked up from his work at the back of the stable.

Sara walked toward him. "Have you see Gwen?"

Her eldest son shook his head. "No, I haven't." He drew his attention back to his work. "Haven't seen her since yesterday."

"Neal? Eric? Have you seen her?"

"No," the young men chorused.

"Hmm." Sara turned to leave.

Rose popped her head out of a nearby stall. "Ma?"

"Yes?"

"I heard hoof beats approach and leave several minutes ago. I didn't think anything about it, but maybe Gwen went for a ride."

Jason looked up with a frown. "That's not possible. All our horses are accounted for."

Sara didn't hear Jason finish his sentence. She was already heading around outside the barn. "Gwen?" Her daughter was no where to be seen. Glancing around, Sara noticed the pile of grooming brushes that sat quietly against the barn wall. It was the ripped and severely damaged saddle that lay in a heap beside them that sent up her heart's cry of alarm. "GWEN!"

Sara ran back inside the stable. Her frantic breathing and the tears spilling from her eyes drew her children around her.

"Gwen's gone."

* * *

Gwen gazed nervously at the dark clouds swirling and rumbling overhead. Gritting her teeth, she moved Piper away from the waterfall. Dom had come this way. Remnants of a lunch quickly eaten sat on a boulder not far away. Urging Piper on down the path, she glanced again at the sky. 

She hated the cold and she hated being wet. Scolding herself for not remembering to bring a cloak, she reached for her saddlebags, only to remember she hadn't brought any. She groaned and the first rain drop fell.

Steeling herself, she took a deep breath. Dom had come this way. Dom, her best friend. The man she loved.

Gwen gasped aloud. Where had _that_ thought come from? Love? Sure she loved Dom, but as a brother. Didn't she? There couldn't be anything like that between them. Their friendship would be ruined.

Wouldn't it?  
Gwen remembered Dom's farewell kiss and how wonderful it had felt to be in his arm weeks ago in the pond. Electricity had spiraled through her veins at his touch. Was that love?

Shaking her head, she refused to think about it any further. Turning her thoughts back to the absence of a cloak, she vocally complained. "I always do this. I always have to rush into everything, without a thought as to why or what I'll need." _Yes,_ she thought,_ this was much better than thinking about love._

She clucked to Piper and the faithful horse surged forward. With the sun sinking lower in the sky, they needed to find a place to stay for the night. Gwen glanced around. A willow tree would be nice. Or a big pine tree. An abandoned cottage would have been better. Heck, an occupied cottage would do, but Gwen knew the possibility of finding such a one was nearly impossible.

She continued on. Hours later, soaked, hungry, miserable, Piper stopped quietly. Half asleep, Gwen jolted awake and nearly slid from the saddle. Wiping her eyes, she glanced around and gasped in alarm.

This wasn't her forest! Snow covered the ground in huge drifts. The charred branches of the surrounding trees drooped low, covered in snow. Not a sound echoed in the forest. Nothing. Not even the sound of snow falling. Snow! It wasn't even mid-autumn! Gwen shivered violently. How was this possible?

Several yards in front of her stood a gate, at least twenty feet wide and twice that in height. A black foreboding castle gleamed in the dim sunlight. Luminous gray clouds spiraled from the tallest tower as lightening pierced the air. Only there was no thunder to accompany it.

Gwen sat cocooned in silence. Her breathing seemed overloud. She could hear herself blink. It was unnerving to her very soul. Sweat trickled down her back in fear.

Finally a sane thought pierced the fog that enveloped her. Gwen knew it must have been only hours since coming across that waterfall, maybe less. She certainly hadn't traveled an entire season! None of this made sense.

It felt like an eternity, but slowly, she slid from Piper's bare back and made her way toward the iron gate. She couldn't see much for the fog and the snow, but the dark castle loomed ever frightening. Hesitantly, she wrapped her hands around two bars. She leaned in as close as she dared and looked around, her heart pounding.

_Maybe I can get inside and dry off. _For all appearances, the castle looked deserted. Struck with a thought, she hurriedly looked for a lock. _Maybe Dom had made his way here! He could be inside! _Looking for a lock, her heart sank as she discovered a large padlock sitting stoically several feet out of her reach.

Hoof beats sounded suddenly behind her and she turned just in time to see Piper disappear into the woods. Panic seized her. She was alone.

Forcing herself to breath, Gwen just barely got a hold of her emotions. She turned her thoughts to her immediate problem – getting past the gate. She took a calming breath and stepped back. Then she noticed something. The space between two of the rusting gate bars was wide enough for her to slip through.

It took but a moment to do exactly that. Flecks of rust clung to her rain-soaked cloak and gown, but Gwen hardly gave notice. Slowly, she made her way toward the castle. With each step, the castle loomed closer, bigger, terrifying. Even in the density of the fog, she could see it shone, as if ebony, a substance her father had worked with quite frequently.

All too soon, she was standing before the great ebony doors and Gwen raised a trembling hand. Before she could touch the door, however, it swung open. Gwen jumped back, started by the movement coupled with a slow whining creak. She swallowed hard, forced thoughts of Dom and her father into her mind and stepped inside.

"Hello?"

* * *

Merric peered over the stone railing of the second floor balcony, invisible to the intruder. She was exhausted, from look of her. Her rain-darkened hair hung loose and around her face and shoulders, her stance rigid, from cold or fear, he did not know. Probably both. Her cloak hid the rest of her but even from a distance, Merric could see how she trembled. Her eyes, wide with fear, darted all around her. 

Triumph locked around his heart as he watched her. A girl in the castle! He had no doubt this one had come searching for his prisoners. Merric's face stretched to accommodate a wicked grin. He would finally be rid of the spell! Therose was begun to wilt.

Thousands of years worth of memories crowded into his mind, turning his grin into twist of hatred. He'd been locked in the castle, bound to its inhabitants for over three thousand years, serving master after master. Every time the portal weakened and anew master was caught in it's snare, his hope grew and died. No master or mistress had been rescued by his or her true love in time to save them, or at all. No one had fulfilled the requirements: Only when the Master loved and was loved in return would the spell be broken.

"Hello?" The girl's feeble call drew his attention away from the past. For just a moment, he allowed his time hardened heart to soften towards the girl. She might just be his deliverance, after all. If things went according to plan.

He stepped into the lighting, drawing her gaze. "My lady?"

Gwen was too weary to let out a gasp. Her host must have seen her panic, however, and hurried to assure her. "Do not be alarmed, my lady. I will not hurt you." He raised his hands briefly in peace and walked slowly down the red-carpeted, dusty, grand staircase that dominated the front hall. "Might I ask, what is your name?"

Gwen eyed him as he made his way toward her. Should she trust him? "Guinevere," she whispered after a long moment.

The man bowed, every inch of him the courteous gentleman. Gwen didn't know what to make of him. What was a man like him doing in a castle in the middle of nowhere? Nothing made sense.

"You may call me Merric. Might I show you to your rooms?"

"My rooms?" Gwen blurted incredulously. "Oh, no. You see, I'm looking for someone. Two someones actually. I was wondering if they came this way."

"Friends?"

His question gave Gwen pause. Was a friend all Dom was to her? She pushed the thought to the back of her mind until another time. "Yes, and one is my father."

Merric thought of the old man caged in the dungeon. "Could you describe them to me? Perhaps they passed this way."

There was something about this man Gwen didn't like. She couldn't put her finger on it, but she couldn't bring herself to trust him. But he might be able to help her. "Their both taller'n me. One is about my age, green eyes, dark hair. My father has blue eyes and gray hair. Both were wearing tan breeches and plain tunics that I saw them."

Merric feigned interest. "When did you last see them?"

"My father left a few weeks ago, but Dom disappeared only this morning."

A man, hidden in the bowels of the castle, screamed suddenly. It echoed along the dark halls, sending chills down Gwen's spine. Gooseflesh rippled along her skin. Merric merely sighed.

"It'd be best for you to stay here, or take a seat in one of the parlors of this main hall. I'll be but a moment." Without waiting for a response, he ran down the hall to her left.

She stayed still a moment, before curiosity got the better of her. She followed him. Torchlight led her down a long winding hall and then down a staircase enclosed in walls of e bony. Cobwebs and spiders lined the walls as other insects crawled across her path. She nearly turned back. The man's screams rang out again and again, forcing her on. Finally, voices stopped her at the end of the stair.

"Shut up, you filth." She recognized Merric's voice, although his mild countenance was gone. Hidden by shadow, she slipped into the room, keeping to the dark corners. She watched silently, as he walked over to a large cell that dripped with grime. He kicked dirt and mud from the floor at a thin man huddled in a back corner.

"We've got visitors, Henry," Merric snarled. "We don't want you disturbing them! End your empty cries."

Understanding hit Gwen like a blow. "Daddy!" Gwen emerged from her hiding place. "Oh, Daddy!" she cried, bursting into tears.

Merric whirled. "No! My lady, get away from here!" He lunged to stop her, but she pushed past. He grabbed her arm and she whirled, landing a bone breaking jab on his nose. Merric let her go with a scream.

Oh, how her father had changed over the past weeks! He looked as though he hadn't eaten a stitch of bread. His skin was much too pale, his body too thin, too cold. Gwen grabbed his arms through the bars separating them.

With wild eyes, Henry shouted at her to get away from him. "What are you doing here? Get out!" he bellowed. "It's not safe here!" He pushed her away, and erupted into a coughing fit, flecks of blood littering his hands and clothing.

"Daddy!" Gwen cried in alarm. "Who did this to you? Merric?" Merric's moans could be heard over her hysterical cries.

Henry shook his head, warding her off with a wave of his hands. "No. A woman. A-a monster." Tucked his head into his knees, rocking back and forth. "I don't remember!"

"Daddy, come with me! We have to get out of here!"

"So tired," was her only response. Her father was fading. Fast.

"Daddy!"

Her plea must have struck a cord, long dead within him, for his head shot up, his eyes wide and feral. "Gwen," he crawled toward her. "Listen to me." He grabbed her hands through the bars. Again, Gwen was struck with the lack of life in her father's skin. "Get out of here." His voice was suddenly harsh and low, dangerous. "As soon as you can, run! It's not safe here!"

"Daddy, we have to get you out of here!" she cried, heedless of her father's warning.

"He will be here…"

A loud crash interrupted Henry's entreaty. Stone fell, crashing into a million pieces on the floor. Footsteps, too heavy to be human, echoed along the walls.

Henry shoved his daughter away. "Get out! He's here! Get out now!" He coughed again. Gwen felt the spray of her father's blood hit her face. She whimpered, refusing to leave her father. She huddled there, her very veins crying out in panic as whoever her father feared stepped closer. She glanced back at her father, and found him leaning against the dirty wall, lifeless.

"Daddy!" she screamed. It sounded as if the entire castle was falling in around her. "Daddy!"

But it was useless. Henry was dead.

Too terrified for tears, she huddled by her father, covering her head. Merric moaned again somewhere nearby. Then it stopped. The crashing. All was silent.

Then…

"Merric!" a deep husky voice bellowed. "I heard a woman's voice. What is the meaning of all of this?"

Gwen trembled. The voice sent shivers down her spine, and at the very recesses of her mind, she heard wolves howling, waterfalls rumbling, and a man screaming.

"Merric, get up!"

Gwen dared to open her eyes. The torches had been extinguished. The only light in the room came from a slit in the ceiling, opening to the sky. And she found herself sitting in its pool. She couldn't see anything. 

Then a shadow moved. Footsteps moved. Gwen forced herself to breath, while sobs of fear shook her body.

"What is this?" the voice growled. "Who are you?"

Gwen didn't dare move.

A paw, belonging to a great animal, shot out of the darkness. Gwen screamed, but the hand was quicker than her feeble attempt to escape. It grabbed a hold of her and hauled her to her feet. The fur made her sneeze and the light captured features that were foreign, human, animal. Sobbing, tears streaming down her face, Gwen looked up into the face of her captor.


	6. Chapter Six

**Chapter Six**

His grip on her arm ironclad, girl and beast stood silently, in awe, in fear, in anger, bathed in the light from the mid-evening sky. And a beast it was. Over seven feet in height, its shadow seemed to fill the room, engulfing all in sight. Thick, unkempt, brown fur covered it from its bear-like paws to its horned head down to its wolf-like feet. There was nothing human about it.

Then Gwen looked into its eyes. Silver-lined, green eyes. Human eyes, with human anger, and human disbelief.

Suddenly, its grip on her arm loosened and it set her on the floor. It stared at her in confusion, and she couldn't read the thoughts swimming through the beast's mind.

Pictures flashed through his mind like lightening. A girl, dancing. A crown made out of daisies. A rush through the woods. Swimming. Handing her bread. A kiss. As if her grip caused him pain, he tore himself away.

"I'm sorry, Gwen," he rasped. "I won't hurt you." His mind reeling, he stumbled from the dungeon, growling.

Gwen sank to her knees and burst into tears. There was nothing but terror now. Nothing but darkness. The sliver of light dimmed swiftly as Gwen tipped forward, letting unconsciousness take her.

* * *

How did he know her name? Her name was Gwen. Guinevere. Gwen. She lived on a farm. Near town. With her family. The beast paced his study, his feet pounding the floor beneath him, causing ripples in the windows overlooking his land. Most days this study offered him a comfort he didn't find anywhere else in the castle. The large windows opened onto a scene of endless snow, dotted with black evergreens. Sleek, solid snow. Beautiful and comforting. The books lining the shelves were dusty and old, written in a language long forgotten. When stoked, the ivory fireplace acted as a source of heat for the large room. Ancient carpets littered the floor and tapestries, dulled with age, hung on the wall. 

Most days this study offered him comfort, but not today.

Her face. Beauty. An angel. A friend. He knew her. She was familiar, but…

His mind reeled. Dizzy, the beast lurched to his seat by the empty fireplace. The sun fell and rose again though he gave no thought as to its existence. He couldn't revive any more memories. The ones he had angered him. They connected him to his past. But how, when he didn't remember anything but this castle?

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door.

"WHAT!" he roared.

The door opened a crack and Merric, in perfect health, entered meekly. "My lord, I was wondering what you meant to do with the girl."

The beast stared at his manservant. What was he going to do with the girl?

* * *

"No one leaves this castle." 

Gwen scrambled to her feet. She's awakened some hours before, believing her experience to have been a dream. The realization that it was not had brought on another onslaught of tears. She was in this miserable castle with a horrific beast, a vicious man, and a dead father. She wiped at her tears and gathered her courage.

The beast glanced around the cold dungeon. Nothing had changed. The old man was dead and the girl sat still and silent, where he had left her. His heart softened just a bit at the fear in her wide eyes. "Don't be afraid."

Gwen looked up. _Not be afraid? Is it serious?_ "I'm not," she lied, her heart pounding. The fangs jutting from his jaw were even more frightening than before.

His eyes were cold as he repeated his first statement. "No one leaves this castle. No one has for thousands of years. Do not expect to be an exception." He turned to leave, his monstrous shadow filling the room. "Come. I'll show you to your room."

Gwen scrambled to her feet, clutching at the stale, dry cloak around her shoulders. "My room?"

He glanced back at her. "Unless you'd like to stay here," he growled. Gwen trembled under his glare. She shook her head ever so slightly. "Well come on then." He led her up the narrow staircase she'd taken days before. With a sick feeling, Gwen realized she hadn't eaten in over two days. Her stomach rumbled loudly, and suddenly she felt faint with hunger.

The dust and grime and insects swarming around her, combined with her sudden hunger, hurt her head. She swayed, dizzy, and stumbled. Before she hit the stone steps, his arm swept under her. She clutched at his fur as her head spun and her stomach rolled. She was hardly aware when he picked her up and cradled her in his arms. She felt his heart beat against her temple, his musty, warm, scent filling her nose. Under her fear and uncertainty, he fascinated her. He could squash her with one hand, yet he carried her like a doll. Her head swarming, it didn't make sense.

She didn't notice as he climbed more flights of stairs, or the large windows littering the castle walls. Her first recollection was of being laid on a cushion of pillows and blankets. She opened her eyes to find the beast standing over her. She cowered away from him in sudden anxiety.

A low growl escaped from his throat, telling he hadn't missed her revulsion. He disappeared from her view and slammed the door behind him. A moment late, his ferocious cry filled the castle, a cry full of despair and frustration and anger.

He raced down the hall as Gwen, inside her room, collapsed into tears.

* * *

A dark snowstorm awaited Gwen when she woke the next morning. Her head hurt much less, thanks to Mama's tea. Just in case, she decided she'd better ask her to make some more this morning. She smiled sleepily at the thought. 

And then she remembered.

"No!" she cried, sitting up in a strange bed. "No, no, no!" Tears threatened, but she forced them back. Crying wasn't going to get her anywhere. Clenching her fists, she fought back last night's memories and looked around the room for the first time. Windows lined two of the red walls, letting in streams of gray light, bordered by heavy white linen curtains covered in dust. Her bed was large and dominated the room. From a rung connected to the high ceiling hung sheer red and pink cloth that fell to the ground, surrounding the bed in a mist of color. Various shades of pink decorated the covers and pillow on the bed.

The carpet beneath her feet was a shade lighter than the red that hung over her bed and a polished wooden wardrobe sat conspicuously in the corner of the room. Nothing else but a small beside table occupied the room. It wasn't large, but just seeing such every day objects made Gwen think of home, sending wave after wave of homesickness over her.

Gwen walked over to one of the numerous windows and sat at the window seat that ran the length of the wall, lined with cushions. It felt like years had passed. She sighed and pressed a long-fingered hand over a cold glass pane. The blizzard wind pressed so hard it threatened to collapse the sturdiest of the towers over the castle. Thick snowflakes turned gray in the shadows of the castle before heavily falling to the ground.

A tear slid down her cheek.

Oh, Dom. Come and find me.

_I'm over here._

_Where?_

_Come find me!_

All was silent. The memory faded. Dom had saved her that day. She'd gotten caught in a tree. Her mother had warned against it, but little Gwen had decided she could do anything her older brothers could do. So she went and got stuck in a tree. Dom had climbed up and had helped her down. He was her protector.

Gwen pulled herself away from the memories to answer the knock on her door. She went to it, and opened it a crack after a moment's hesitation. Merric stood there.

He bowed slightly. Gwen opened the door a little more. "The Master has requested you join him for breakfast," he spoke quickly and in a tone that dared her to argue.

She grimaced and did anyway. "No thank you." She started to close the door.

"He also said that if you were to refuse to dine with him, you are to return to the dungeon and have nothing to eat."

Her father had once tried that trick on her. She had lasted not three hours, and had no wish to repeat the punishment. Gritting her teeth, she moved to follow Merric. He held up his hand.

"Lady, might you wear some other garment?" He gestured to her dirt, tearstained dress and boots.

"I have nothing else," she said softly.

"Might you try the wardrobe? There may be a few articles of clothing that fit you." He turned to leave. "I will return shortly." Gwen closed the door to his retreating footsteps. Scowling, she walked to the wardrobe and thrust the doors open.

* * *

He paced the length of the room, all four paws beating the rug in a hurried beat. A low grumble escaped from his throat. Patience was not a strong point of his rugged personality. Already the girl-stranger had upset his entire life. He'd been perfectly content to live alone, with Merric to serve him. He wanted nothing else. He had been content to believe that no maiden would find this hidden castle, content to live and die alone. 

And then this girl appears out of nowhere and he finds his precious rose beginning to wilt! Hope had begun to invade his life, and he didn't know how to deal with it. Especially after considering the fear and revulsion he'd seen in her eyes. She could never love a monster such as him. Better just to kill…

Merric's footsteps drew him from his thoughts. "Merric!" he bellowed. "What took you so long?"

Merric let out an exasperated sigh. He'd been doing this too long. He needed a new job. He couldn't wait until this spell was broken. "The lady is changing clothes, Master. I will go back and collect her shortly."

The beast growled. Seizing the opportunity, Merric spoke out. "Master, have you considered how this girl will affect your future? She could be the one to break the spell."

"Of course I have thought of it, Merric!" the beast shot back. "But I'm not stupid enough to assume that she and I…" He resumed his furious pacing. "She's beautiful and innocent. I'm…" He paused, and then glared hatefully at Merric. "You know what I am."

Merric shrugged. Struggling to dig up enthusiasm, he replied, "Then show her who you really are. Make her see the Do…" he cleared his throat, nearly revealing his precious secret. "The real you," he finished quickly.

The beast covered his face with a large brown paw. "I don't think I can."

Merric didn't answer and decided it was time to go to Gwen. The beast settled, leaning two large paws on the mantle of the fireplace. _What am I getting g myself into?_

He couldn't help but wonder.

* * *

Gwen glared at herself in the mirror. She'd found but one gown that fit her in the wardrobe, but how it fit. It was as if it were made for her. But…she didn't want to wear this! It belonged to that monster! 

Besides, Gwen told herself as she examined the blue and white silk, it was at least one hundred years out of fashion. The neckline sat almost off her shoulders, playing into half sleeves of fine blue silk. Her shoulders felt unnecessarily bare, but no matter how she pulled the silk, it wouldn't cover anything more. The bodice, although made with a corset that laced up the front with white ribbon, was slimming, and the white skirt played nicely against the side skirt of the same blue as the sleeves. Everything was edged in gold.

With a small grunt, Gwen had to admit that this gown was beautiful, even in its old age. Scowling she loosened her hair, brushing out the tangles and braided it once again, wrapping it around her head once and tucking it securely in place.

_Why should I have to look nice for this…thing? He'll probably just eat…_

Merric's voice jolted her out of her thoughts. "Are you ready, my lady?"

"Merric!" she cried. "I didn't hear you come in." With a sudden frightening thought, she added, "How long have you been there?" She hoped desperately that the room light was dim enough to hide the fiery blush that spread across her cheeks.

"Only a moment, I promise," he said with a knowing smile. He repeated his first question.

Without a last glance in the mirror, Gwen sighed. "Yes, I guess I am."

She followed Merric down a series of long winding halls. Just as in the dungeon, long thin streams of green and white moss hung from the stones and slime stains patterned the stone with mold. Critters and insects skittered across their path every now and then. Looking down at her pristinely clean gown, she couldn't help but wonder at it. If this castle was in such disrepair, how had a gown, hundred of years old, survive such decay?

Leaving the thought for a later moment, her eyes were wide as she glanced at her surroundings. The apparent age of the castle amazed her. Her mother's father's father had lived in their small cottage back on the farm and never once had Gwen ever heard of an ancient castle hidden in the forest. It was all very strange.

For a long while, as Merric led Gwen through the castle, the only sound echoing was that of her sandaled feet on the brown stone floor and the drip drop of slime. Merric moved so quietly, if she hadn't seen him before her, she would have though he had disappeared altogether.

He stopped at the end of the magnificent hallway, near a grand staircase, not unlike the one she had seen when she'd first stepped into the castle. Merric opened a door to her left and stepped aside. "The master is waiting."

It took all of Gwen's willpower to keep from replying that the beast wasn't her master. But focusing on the great beast inside, all thoughts but those of fear suddenly flew from her mind. She took a breath, and paused for so long, Merric all but pushed her into the room.

The dining room was the most beautiful she had eve r seen. Cloths of gold covered the chairs and the floor. Freshly polished crystal tableware decorated the gold and ivory tablecloth. The window shut out the snowy setting with thick scarlet curtains. The tiled floor beneath the gold carpets glittered and reflected off the polished wooden furniture.

"My Lord?" Merric called from behind her. "The Lady is ready."

The beast stood at one of the windows, the scarlet curtain pulled aside. Every bone in his body radiated impatience and Gwen suddenly knew a moment of terror. There was no food on the table. She put a hand to her throat where her pulse beat wildly against her fingers.

Did the beast intent to eat her!


	7. Chapter Seven

**A/N – thanks so much to Gigi the Dancer for pointing out a few of my larger mistakes!**

**Thanks so much to all of my reviewers! Several of you have asked about the character Merric….i can only tell you that in the next few chapters after this one, you will be seeing a lot more of Merric…his importance in this story will become apparent….soon…lol…I just as that you be patient!**

**Chapter Seven**

Moments after her terrified, irrational reaction, Merric uncovered the numerous silver platters that Gwen, in her fear, had neglected to notice. Scents of roasted ham, jam, eggs, and various vegetables met her nose and she greedily sucked in air, as if that were sustenance enough. When she simply stood, staring, Merric walked to her and offered his arm, and led her to the chair opposite the beast.

Silverware clinked together down at the beast's end and red wine sloshed in his glass, spilling all over himself and the table. Gwen wrinkled her nose in disgust. The beast shoved the food into his mouth, not caring how much actually made it the huge cavity. Soon his fur sported a variety of color, each oozing together into one brown mess. Gwen began to feel queasy.

The beast noticed she wasn't touching the food put on her plate. "What's the matter?" he growled. "Don't you like eggs?"

Gwen flinched and gingerly took up her silver-plaited fork and knife. She loaded a small bite of salted eggs and a bit of ham onto her fork and slowly put it to her mouth. The beast nodded, satisfied that she had begun to eat. Gwen suddenly found that she had no appetite as she once again watched him eat like a monster.

_Because that is what he is._

Gwen swallowed back her thoughts. The beast was watching her again. "I'm afraid I don't have much of an appetite."

The beast snarled. "Why not?"

Gwen scowled back, but answered with a question of her own. If the beast could talk, maybe it knew the answers to some of her own questions. "What is your name?" she asked, her voice suddenly sounding very small in this cavern of a dining room.

The beast eyed her suspiciously. "I don't have a name."

Gwen frowned, not liking his answer, but didn't push him. She decided to change the subject. "How long has this castle been here?" she ventured, tentatively. "I don't remember ever seeing it."

The beast grunted. "This castle has been around for centuries," he snapped. "Don't be stupid." His eyes blazed with fight and if he hadn't known himself better, he might have been frightened by the regret that seared his chest at his harshness. _Might have. _He returned to his meal.

Gwen sat rigidly, refusing to eat more than a few bites. She fought back tears and anger, unable to stomach the loss of her dignity along with everything else she'd lost.

"There are rules you will follow." The beast's glare gave no room for argument. "First, you are free to roam the northern and eastern wings. But the southern wing is off limits to all."

"Why…" Gwen cut her question short at the heated glare the beast sent her way.

"Second," he didn't take his eyes off of her, "If you have need of anything, ask Merric. Don't bother me. Ever. At all." Each syllable enunciated his anger more and with each word Gwen shrank back. "Are we clear?"

Gwen nodded, not bothering to hide her own anger. Throwing her delicate gold cloth napkin on the table, she pushed back her chair, the legs scraping the tiled floor and stalked toward the door.

"GWEN!" the beast bellowed after her. "I did NOT dismiss you." Slashes of red crossed his vision at being dismissed so easily. Gwen had frozen halfway out the door, and once again his chest nearly melted with the pain of guilt. He watched, clinging to his anger, as she clenched her teeth and walked slowly back to her seat. It was easy enough to see that she was upset, furious even.

He smirked and finished his meal quietly, taking his time, letting her sit there. He pushed his guilt away, reveling in her fury. And her spunk. The girl had survived two days with no food or water, had lost everything she'd ever loved and now sat here with him, enduring his anger and resentment.

He growled with contentment, and glanced over at her. Strands of her auburn, no, more reddish blonde hair had slipped from the braids that held it in place and now, as she hung her head, somewhat shielded her face from his scrutiny. He had no idea if she'd done so on purpose. He shrugged. It didn't really matter.

Then again , maybe it did. A long forgotten memory surfaced and he was hit with sudden recognition. He knew her, from before his exile, maybe. Or this was a dream. Or…endless possibilities echoed in his mind. He only knew one thing. Gwen wasn't here by accident.

But how did he know that? He knew her blue eyes and how she looked in a dress the color of buttercups. He knew she had a family, brothers and sisters, a father who had been an inventor. Had Merric mentioned all of this to him? No, he never spoke to Merric any more than necessary. That how was it that these…memories that shouldn't exist suddenly crowd his mind over dinner with a stranger?

He didn't want to think about it any longer. Glaring at the girl across from him, he fairly shouted at her to leave his sight, which she did with all haste. Emotions he thought he had killed surfaced and he flinched. Where had that come from?

_What is your name?_ The question haunted him. What _was_ his name? He felt ashamed his didn't know.

_Dom._

The beast stood abruptly, not catching the single word. "Who's there?" It was a woman's voice, all ice and fire. "Show yourself."

_Dom._

The voice sounded again, but again, he didn't catch what was said. The beast glanced around. It hadn't been Gwen's voice. It most certainly hadn't been Merric's. Then who? There was no one else in the castle.

The voice didn't sound again, but for some reason, he felt as though he had missed something important. As if some living memory had disappeared. He held his head in his hands, trying to remember, wracking his brain. But nothing came to him. He didn't remember life before the castle. He didn't even know if there had been a life outside of this fortress.

Everything was blank. What little memory he had began the day Gwen had arrived, yet he knew he had been here for ages, for a lifetime or more. Except…

He had once lived outside this castle. Suddenly snippets of memory that shouldn't belong to him raced as pictures through his tired mind.

A daisy crown.

Saddlebags.

A kiss.

Yellow dress.

A pond.

A girl.

Bits and pieces, fragments of someone else's memories flooded him. He was drowning.

A rose.

A stallion.

A woman in the forest.

Nails.

A rose. Why was the rose important?

The beast's eyes flew open. The rose!

The beast flung back his chair, not bothering to notice the crash and shattering of wood that followed. Breathing heavily, his heart pounding, he raced to the southern most wing, flinging unnecessary furniture and ceramic statues out of his way. The maze of hallways and corridors blurred past.

_I give this to you, this same perfect rose that has held me captive. It will bloom eternally…until your true love sets foot in your castle. After she does, who knows what might happen. _The woman's warning seemed to echo off the walls, pounding in his brain, in his very bones.

He burst through the rotting oak doors that led to his private study, and stopped. Sitting on his lonely balcony, where it had always stood, was a perfect blood red rose. Entombed in a crystal case, it shimmered in the morning light that spread from his distant mountains. Abstract rainbows slithered over the dark room.

The beast heaved a sigh. The rose appeared unchanged. For now. Besides, the beast scoffed, there was no way this young, untried young woman was his true love. She couldn't be. Pleased with his logic, the beast almost didn't notice the scratch of noise behind him. A noise that shouldn't be there.

He whirled, glaring around the room, perfectly silent. Only broken furniture and ripped paintings, evidence of his awesome rage, met his gaze. He turned his head. Something wasn't right. He turned his back on the room and entered a side hall, searching, waiting.

* * *

Gwen breathed easier as she watched him enter another room. She hadn't meant to break his serenity by nearly knocking over an end table. After being so abruptly dismissed from the beast's table, Gwen had gone to her room, only to find that the walls were too confining. Her feet had itched for exploration, so she had given in. Quietly, she had wandered about, starting at the large dining hall she'd recently exited. The beast still sat there, where she had left him, so she had let him be.

Suddenly, he had raced past her, in such a frenzy Gwen couldn't help but laugh at the sight of the large monster. Through her giggles, her eyes had followed him. To her surprise, her feet followed as well. It had taken her a while to realize that she was entering the southern wing. The beast had strictly forbidden it, and for a moment she had seriously considered backing away and leaving things be.

Gwen sighed, remembering how her mischievous side had one out. Her mother had always said it would be the death of her. She shrugged. Maybe it would be. Death, she surmised, would be a better fate that life inside a hidden castle with a monster for your only companion.

Brining her thoughts back to the present, Gwen glanced around. The room was filthy. Shredded sofas lay everywhere and pits and pieces of cloth from the surrounding curtains hung everywhere from the chandeliers to the dirt covered floor. Two of the large windows were cracked beyond repair, while the remaining three were dirty enough to conceal the bright light of the moon.

An unnatural pink glow across the room caught her eye.

With a soft intake of breath, Gwen stepped toward the glow. A perfect rose, long stemmed and beautiful, stood beneath a heaven-made crystal case. Intrigued, her curiosity got the better of her and she silently lifted the cover off and placed it by her feet. Leaning forward, she raised a hand to stroke the glimmering petals.

Her arm wrenched behind her and she screamed her pain. The beast tossed her across the room where she landed in a heap of blue silk skirts. Forgetting her pain, Gwen scrambled back as the beast surged forward.

"I told you to stay out!" He swung a huge paw and shattered table at his side.

The beast's growl shook her worse than anything she'd ever experienced. She scrambled to her feet, extending her hands in fear. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to…please!"

He rounded on her, shattering furniture as he went. "You don't realize what you could have done!" His eyes glowed like silver daggers, and pierced Gwen as if they had been. He carefully, with more care than Gwen thought him capable, placed the crystal case back over the glowing rose.

"Get out." The whispered showed the beast's fury more than his defensive posture and gleaming black eyes.

Gwen back away slowly. She stopped, her back against a wall. Her eyes widened in fear and she turned her head to ward off a blow. None came. The beast's hot breath moved across her face.

"Get out."

She ran.

"Get out!"

She ran as fast and as hard as she could, slipping down the grimy stairs.

The beast, his eyes white with anger and fear, clenched his paw, and shattered stone with one blow. "GET OUT!"

She didn't come back.

* * *

Gwen ran. She ran harder and faster than she'd ever run before. Her lungs burned and a harsh wind and snow whipped at her dress. But she ran on. Her face and skin left exposed to the elements became numb quickly. But she ran on. Her gown was little comfort against the snow.

She looked for familiar territory, but found only barren, snow-covered trees, withered and black. She turned to look behind her for the hundredth time. The beast wasn't following her.

She fell, face first into a snow bank, tripping over a tree root. Suddenly, she was too tired and cold to move, to even consider moving. Forever, an eternity, she lay there, gasping for breath in the unnatural winter air.

_No one leaves this castle._ His words followed her, freezing her heart. Maybe death was better than life inside that prison. Maybe…

Gwen froze at the sound of a twig snapping.

There it was again. A growl. Footsteps. The crack of a branch. Something was trailing her. Slowly, slowly, she moved to look around her, wiping the snow from her eyes. There was nothing…

Yes, there was. A wolf, crouched low in the barren bushes, snarled quietly behind her. It's fur gleamed as white as the snow. She wouldn't have seen it but for the shadows that played across it's fur. It's yellow-gold eyes glittered.

She thought only one question before it charged: how many more were there?

The forest erupted with the sounds of a charging predetor, and Gwen let out a terrified scream. But she had been raised on a farm; she was no weak girl-child. She searched frantically through the snow-covered ground, searching for the only weapon the forest could offer.

"Come on, come on," she hissed through clenched teeth, chattering with cold. Where was it? Exhaustion and cold made her clumsy and she slipped. Her fingers slid across her weapon. She could hear the wolf moving closer, deadly and fast. She pulled her weapon free.

The wolf lunged, clamping down hard on the tree branch that she swung. It snarled and lurched back, searching for her weak spot. Gwen knew she had far too many. She pointed the sharpest edge at the wolf's muzzle, her fatiguing muscles straining as she waited for the attack. The wolf bared its teeth. Then, almost as if it had no interest, it slinked away, it's snow white fur disappearing rapidly.

Gwen whirled, ready for anything. Her blue eyes moved across the scenery, searching, waiting. She didn't hear the twig snap behind her.

The wolf lunged once more, landing squarely on Gwen's shoulders, forcing her to the ground and knocking the stick from her hand. Gwen screamed as the wolf gnawed at her dress. His teeth ripped the delicate clothing, her fangs leaving gashes across her skin. She screamed. The weight of the wolf was crushing her. Her left shoulder bellowed its own pain at the way her fall had twisted it. The wolf's claws punched through her skin as he continued his ravage.

Suddenly, a hysterical howl echoed through the hills. The ground shook like the thundering of a thousand horses. Hazily, she recognized the beast's cry of rage, and burst into tears. The beast jumped into the clearing, tearing the wolf away from Gwen in one motion. The huge wolf hit a gigantic oak with bone shattering force. It merely whimpered before charging the beast.

The lone inhabitants of the forest wrestled and bit, each fighting for the advantage. Gwen couldn't help but stare, even as her injuries screamed for attention. The wolf was huge, gigantic, even compared to the tremendous size of her captor. While the beast was bigger, the wolf's cunning and speed earned him the lead. Gwen winced as the beast let out a terrible yell as the wolf closed his teeth around the beast's shoulder.

Gathering his strength, the beast grabbed the white wolf by its bushy tail and swung him against a tree, crushing his skull with amazing force. The impact killed the wolf instantly, but the beast did it again, and then again. Blood spilled across the snow. The wolf's teeth had ripped his shoulder to pieces.

Long seconds passed before the beast quieted. The only sounds were of the beast's a Gwen's heavy breathing. It felt like a millennium before Gwen dared to move. The beast stood frozen not fifteen feet away. Blood spattered her coarse fur, and thick streams of the stick substance flowed from his shoulder.

_So, this monster does bleed,_ she thought dimly as she stepped toward him. Her movement must have broke his reverie, for he turned to her. His gaze made her stop, for his eyes gleamed with sorrow, taking on a fantastic human quality. Shadows of green flickered, and then disappeared, leaving the glazed and veiled black eyes she had come to hate. His eyelids fluttered helplessly as he let out a groan and dropped weakly to the ground.

Gwen's heart pounded as she stood there, trying to decide his fate. Her skin stung, and she could long feel her arms or legs. Should she leave him where he lay? To die? Or stay with him until he regained consciousness? She sighed, tears spilling down her cheeks. He was the only one who knew the way back to the castle. It seemed her fate was decided as well, without her consent. Either remain with the beast, or freeze to death wandering in this snow-covered wasteland.

She went to the beast and sat down beside him, burying her hands in his fur for warmth, almost praying he didn't wake up. A twig snapped behind her and Gwen nearly fainted in fear. Another wolf!

Steeling herself for death, or worse, she turned. And nearly sobbed with relief. Piper, Dom's mare, walked cautiously into the clearing. Tears continued to leak from Gwen's eyes and she covered her face as she finally let them come. Gathering her wits about her after a moment, she beckoned Piper close and grabbed the broken reins.

It took all of her strength and most of the afternoon, judging by the glare of the sun, to load the beast onto the horse's back, one body part at a time. The exertion warmed her, however, and wearily, she found the strength to lead Piper and the beast back to the castle.


	8. Chapter Eight

**I'm so sorry you all have had to wait so long for this chapter...our computer has been down for a couple days so i haven't been able to do ANYTHING! lol...so here you go...it's not as long as the others...but it's a BIG Merric chapter...i hope that makes up for the lack of length...

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****Chapter Eight**

Merric provided the wet rags Gwen used to mop the beast's brow. Up close, the beast was every bit a frightening monster, but her attempted escape had taught her. The beast could be defeated. He might even have feelings other than rage.

The warm water soaked through his fur, darkening the light brown color to a rich chocolate, highlighted by the roaring fire behind them. Making sure he was still unconscious, she peeled back the layers of his bloodstained cloak and tunic. She winced. The wound was deep. She stood and went to find Merric.

Merric watched the girl leave the room from the shadows. She seemed nice enough, generous, kind. Certainly beautiful. If the beast's future didn't depend on her so much, he might have gone after her himself. As it was…

The large heap of beast lying before the fire breathed shallowly, slowly. Blood seeped slowly from his shoulder and other wounds made by the ripping of Wolfbane's teeth and claws. That blasted wolf! Why the sorcerers of old had let the pest live was beyond him.

As he watched the beast, the room suddenly dipped and spun. Merric blinked, rubbing his eyes. Nausea rolled his stomach and he fought to keep from dropping to his knees. The dimness abated just as suddenly as it had come. It was replaced by a light so incredibly bright, the very edges of time disappeared. He was left standing, shading his eyes as he was surrounded by white. The beast and his domain disappeared.

After a moment the brightness ebbed and Merric could open his eyes without pain. There was nothing around him but white light. Nothing, no one. Except the woman.

Merric couldn't believe his eyes. He bowed low to his former mistress. "Madam."

The woman didn't move. Her eyes stared at him, piercing him as though daggers of ice. It was a long time before she spoke. "A seed of love has been planted." Her voice echoed, pounding into his very bones. It reminded him vaguely of ice breaking over water during a spring thaw. Or of wolves howling at a full moon.

Merric, forgetting his wits, shook his head. "No, that isn't possible."

Merric's former mistress, the inhabitant before the current occupant, continued as though she hadn't heard him. "With life comes death. Your death. I would not be so quick to disregard my warning." She didn't blink, didn't move, didn't seem to breathe. They were surrounded by an eerie silence, broken only by the woman's words and Merric's harsh breathing. "As guardian of this castle and of the monster that resides within, your life is forfeit once the spell is broken by love."

Merric paled. "What are you saying?"

"You will die."

"No!" Merric screamed. "My term is up! My life will be mine once the spell is broken!"

The woman shook her head, slowly. "You will die. A life to give life."

Merric gasped for breath. This wasn't happening. "Why was this not told to me before? Why was I not told!"

"Love never showed her face. But, indeed, love is growing."

Merric shouted curses at her as terror filled him. "I was taken from my life! I had a family, did you know that?" he bellowed. "I don't remember their names; I can't remember their faces! This spell took my life away! I am without life!" He rasped for breath. "The best and the girl should give their lives to me! They took my life and now I am expected to give them more?  
The women didn't flinch at his outrage. "Should the beast and the lady recognize their love, the spell will be broken and you will die. That is the way it has to be."

Merric screamed. And the light was gone.

"Merric?"

Wide-eyed, he spun, sputtering for breath, trying to make sense of things. Gwen stood before him, a quizzical look on her eyes. "What do you want?" he nearly shouted at her.

Gwen flinched and bit her lip. "I-I was wondering if this palace grew any herbs? I need something to lessen the pain should the beast wake."

Merric glared at her, hatred brimming. He came close to striking her, killing her. That way it would be over. His pale existence in this enchanted castle was better than no life at all. But as she watched him, he couldn't do it. He grunted. "I'll go see what I can find."

Gwen frowned, frightened, watching him as he walked away. Quickly, she fled, returning to the beast. Muttering to herself, she wondered why she was suddenly trying so hard to save the life of the one who…who…

Gwen stilled. What had he done? Other than scare her to death? For goodness sake, he had saved her life not three hours ago. And why? It wasn't exactly his fault she had stumbled into this upside down world.

He had killed her father.

Anger seared her heart and Gwen almost didn't go back to the study where her unconscious captor lay. Almost. Her father, her dear father, had taught her to respect life, that all deserve a chance to live. Revenge was not Henry's way. Nor would it be his daughter's. Gritting her teeth, still seething with anger, Gwen went back to her work.

A moment later, the beast grunted, startling her so badly she nearly fainted. The beast was waking up.

Pain. Searing, hot, white pain ripped through his shoulder. He tried to roar his pain but he couldn't find his voice. Something was wrong. He tried, but failed to open his eyes. He felt as though he had been buried under a mountain of stones and than rolled across a never ending valley of razor edged daggers.

Struggling past the waves of nausea, he finally managed to open a heavy eyelid. His vision blurred, unable to make out any identifying feature. A harsh scent crept up over him and he began to feel as though he were drowning in it. The pain in his shoulder began to decrease, rapidly.

Where was he? What happened?

He succeeded in opening both eyes, an action he regretted as he was suddenly aware of all, including pain like he'd never felt before. A blurred figure with long dark hair bent over him, a thick green and blue substance in its hands. He brought his hand up to rub his eyes and was rewarded with a stab of blazing pain. His head began to swim and his was vaguely aware of someone trying to calm him down. Not that it did any good.

He swung an arm out angrily, forcing the shadow to back away.

Gwen sighed in frustration and stepped back, letting the beast find his surroundings. Unexpectedly, he threw himself to his feet, his left arm hanging uselessly at his side. Gwen hurried to back away but tripped over her still damp skirts and she fell. She let out a yell as her hastily sewn stitches in her side separated and began to bleed.

The beast's rage disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. Gingerly he helped her off of the floor, taking obvious care to avoid touching her side. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean…"

Gwen stared at him in surprise, bordering on terror. That wasn't the beast's voice. It had changed somehow, it wasn't as deep, as raspy. It seemed almost…familiar. It rendered her speechless.

"Gwen, did I hurt you?" The beast settled her down on the settee he'd just vacated and looked her over, searching. Sighing with relief, he embraced her, encircling her with strong arms.

Too surprised to do anything else, Gwen let the beast hug her.

Abruptly, the beast pulled away, the familiarity of his voice disappearing. He growled and went to sit in a chair on the opposite side of the room. His back to her, he ripped excess cloth away from his shoulder and began nursing it like an animal.

Gwen snapped out of her daze. "No, don't do that." She rushed forward. "You'll only make it worse."

"What would you know?" the beast snapped, his growl sending shivers down her spine. "You're nothing more than a child." He licked his shoulder, dripping blood.

"I'm seventeen," she countered. "That's no mere girl-child." When the beast kept a deaf ear to her words, she threw her rags down in disgust. "You're nothing more than an animal!" She stepped closer until she stood over him, glaring down, daring him to say anything.

He dared.

"You're the one who ran away into the middle of a forest you know nothing about! You could have gotten killed! It's a wonder I didn't leave you to Wolfbane!"

"I wouldn't have run away if you hadn't tried to kill me!"

The beast roared. "I didn't try to kill you!"  
"All you think about is yourself!"

The beast glared at her, his eyes full of pain, as if her words had truly, deeply, cut him. "I saved you, didn't I?"

Gwen blinked, suddenly finding it hard to breathe. He had saved her. He was a monster of the most hideous kind. He had allowed her father to die. Yet, did this monster have a heart?

A growl rumbling in his throat, he didn't take his eyes off of her. He gestured to her side. "You should take care of that."

Gwen glanced down. Blood had seeped through her hastily placed bandages, soaking the silk of her gown. Mourning the loss of the beautiful dress, Gwen momentarily forgot the beast as she ripped the dress more, in order to properly bandage the gash in her side. It took some maneuvering, and she wished for the herbs she had sent Merric to find, but the blood did not seep through her bandages.

She glanced back up, surprised to find the beast still watching her. Gwen blushed and swept her unkempt hair into a disheveled braid to give her hands something to do. When she finished, she noticed the beast's shoulder wound was still bleeding. "Here, let me help you with that."

The beast didn't move, and Gwen nearly turned back. With grim resolve she took the bandages from his hand and applied a wet cloth to the gash. He groaned, his howl echoing off the walls. "That hurts!" he hollered and wrenched away.

"Don't be such a child," she demanded, turning his insult back on him. With much grumbling and biting remarks, Gwen bound his shoulder, wondering what was taking Merric so long. Laying aside the supplies, she lowered her eyes. "Thank you," she whispered.

"For what?" The beast glanced at her, surprised.

"For saving my life." She glanced up and for once, neither her eyes nor those of the beast radiated anger or fear or surprise. If she hadn't known better, Gwen might have said they considered each other friends.

The beast smiled, the first smile Gwen had seen. Truth be told it looked more like a grimace, but it was a smile. "You're welcome."

The two didn't notice Merric as he slipped back into the shadows, dropping the requested herbs from his hands.


	9. Chapter Nine

**So here's another chapter...i hope you all are enjoying it so far! Thank you so much for all of your reviews...i'd list and thank all of you, but there's quite a few! lol...**

**anyway...this story is winding down and we'll soon find out what happens to Gwen and the beast and Merric...**

**A/N - just a notice...when this story is over...please check out its sequel The Secrets of Silver...it tells the story of Gwen's granddaughter, Katherine. **

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* * *

****Chapter Nine**

"Who…who are you?"_ Dom shivered. Snow began to fall. _

_The woman smiled faintly with full red-rose lips, her skin perfectly white. Her blonde hair almost touched the ground and Merric imagined her sapphire eyes had pierced him beyond all fear. He knew that kind of fear, when his masters looked at him as thought staring at something far away. _

_A few unnecessary words are exchanged before the woman's voice, sounding of breaking ice and howling wolves echoed throughout the dead forest. _"You are not welcome here,"_ she cried. _"Why should I let you pass?"_ Power flowed from her hands. _

_Shaking Dom mumbled something, raising a trembling hand to shield his eyes from the light that flowed from her. The first growl grunted from his parted lips. _"I have to fine him…for…Gwen."

_Another growl. The woman gripped his chin and held it fast, forcing him to look into her eyes. Her voice glittered with prophesy. _"Three hundred years have passes since I was placed in this realm,"_ she cried, her eyes blazing. _"I was forced to wait, watching as the portal between this world and yours shimmered and flickered until finally it was broken."_ She laughed harshly. _"You fool humans, passing this way year after year, weakening it's strength. How upset I was to find that the one who finally broke the portal's power was a being that I couldn't trade life forces with. No, he was too old."

_She reached with her free hand to stroke Dom's hair. Merric could almost feel, himself, the shards of pain that he knew slashed through Dom's body from his head to his toes. _"Now, thanks to you, I have finally been set free. I do not know what Fate has for you. Your fate will be different from the one I was forced to serve, just as mine was different from the one before me. Now, I can return to the world, free at last to die in peace."

_She looked him over, an odd, frightening look in her eye. _"My keeper has granted me one wish, before I die. My wish is this – to leave you, my dear," _The endearment came out like a curse, _"to leave you suffering ten fold what I had to endure. Kept away from civilization, awaiting the day my true love would set me free."

_Dom, Merric knew, couldn't believe what he was hearing. He most likely couldn't even think. The pain of her grip would have forced all thoughts from his mutating mind. Some sort of magic, ancient, nearly forgotten, flowed from her into him. It would have been eating him alive. Pain must have flowed through his body, tearing, wrenching, distorting. _

"I give this to you,"_ she snarled, handing him a long stemmed red rose. _"This same perfect rose that has held me captive. It will bloom eternally." _Even in his mind's eye, he couldn't take his eyes off of the woman. _"It will bloom until your true love sets foot in your castle. After she does,"_ she shrugged, her face twisted with malice, _"who knows what might happen." _She leaned down to whisper in his ear, grabbing a handful of hair, _"Don't count on it."_ She thrust him away. He fell, hitting his head with a smack._

_The woman closed her eyes. The blackened ground shook violently, and with a thrust of her arms, a great castle made from the purest of ebony escaped from the earth. Its towers and foreboding form loomed over the enchantress and the peasant boy. She turned steel eyes to the boy cowering at her feet._

"The portal opens, the earth, it dies. Poor little human – no time for good-byes."_ The woman's laugh rang out through the trees and Dom's eyes widened in fear. He stared helpless as she shoved him back and screamed, _"Unless you find someone, my dear, who loves you for the hideous creature that you have become, forever will you remain a beast."

Merric let the memory fade as he had done so often in the weeks since that day. He had been there. He had been waiting silently behind the blackened trees as he watched himself become enslaved by yet another uncaring spellbound master. The young man, Dom, he had been on a quest for Gwen. Gwen. Merric clenched his hands.

"This wasn't supposed to happen!" he cried in anguish. To think he had actually waited thousands, millions of years, enduring master after master, watching as each failed in love. No one had ever come close to breaking the spell. Merric had tried his very best to make his masters and mistresses happy. But love had eluded all. Until now.

Now that love had finally invaded the desolate spellbound landscape, Merric couldn't encourage it. Love meant death. His death.

Merric gritted his teeth with resolve. He couldn't let Gwen find out who the beast really was. He couldn't let the beast fall in love with that mere slip of a girl. However, it seemed as though, despite his best efforts, that was exactly what was happening!

Whenever the beast decided to take Gwen for a walk, he'd always run ahead to make sure that Gwen was busy with some project or other she'd undertaken. If Gwen sought out the beasts company, to read to him or some such nonsense, Merric made sure that his master was nowhere to be found. He always added words or phrases such as "sulking in the southeast wing" or "shattering furniture again" when dealing with the girl. Anything! Anything to turn her heart and mind away from the beast. If nothing, else, Merric was going to make sure that the girl and the beast spent their entire lives avoiding each other.

But nothing seemed to be working!  
Four months ago, when Gwen had first entered the castle, he had given little thought to the presence of this young woman. But the moment he saw, or rather, it was revealed to him that the beast had developed a liking for her, he's nearly cut off his own arm! Despite his best efforts, Gwen and the beast still managed to find time together, to explore the castle, to read together in the large library. Or play in the swiftly melting snow!

Gritting his teeth, Merric stalked to the large window taking up one entire wall in his own private study. It seemed as thought love could not only melt the stone from a beast's heart, but could melt the spell-made snow of winter. He sighed, slamming his fist against the glass. His only consolation was the rose.

The once perfect rose wasn't so beautiful anymore, though he doubted the beast cared a switch. The spell was being unraveled, and time was running out. If woman and beast didn't realize their feelings for each other soon, all would be lost. Merric had to be sure it turned out that way!

Seething, Merric turned to the corner table and poured himself a glass of liquor. As it burned down his throat he let out a yell and threw his glass across the room. It shattered, but Merric paid no mind. Stalking from the room, he went to make sure his wards were on opposite ends of the castle.

* * *

The snow was melting. And if felt as if her heart would soon follow suit. Four months. Four very long months she had been confined to this castle and its grounds.

Gwen snapped a growing blade of grass from the ground, running it through her fingers. Harvest time would be about at its end back home. Her brothers would sell the colts and fillies they'd tried so hard to train. Her mother would have sent for young men to help with the harvesting. Her sisters would be busy selling the blankets and rugs they had made throughout the year. Gwen would have been helping them, grumbling about her work, and forever wishing she could go off on some grand adventure.

Well, Gwen sighed, flicking the grass away from her, she got her wish. Encountering an enchanted castle wasn't exactly what she had in mind however. Her father was dead. Merric had buried him months ago beneath a deadened willow tree behind the garden. She had been kept from her family. And Dom…

Gwen clutched her thick fur-lined cloak closer to her. While spring was clearly on its way, the harsh winter winds had yet to abate. Thinking of her friend didn't help much. Just thinking about Dom sent shivers down her spine.

Was he still alive? Had he traveled this way only to meet his end at the beast's claws? Gwen didn't have the heart to ask. For while the beast was still her captor, she thought of his as such less every day. The beast smiled more often than not, and he hadn't raised his voice to her since the day she'd tried to run away.

He'd asked her just last night, as they shared dinner, if she was happy with him.

_Gwen looked up, startled by the beast's question. _

_"You are not happy here?" the beast asked after the hesitated a moment too long. _

_Gwen shook her head. "No. Yes. I-I don't know. I mean, yes, this place is very nice. It's just taking some time to get used to," she'd stammered. _

_The beast had frowned and went back to eating as Gwen blushed and fought back tears._

In truth, she tried not to think about life back home. She tried to focus on living right now, on figuring out a way to escape. But as each day passed and her friendship with the beast grew even stronger, Gwen found her thoughts drawn more and more to a life with the beast.

It shamed her to find herself thinking of such a life. For this life wasn't truly hers. She was a prisoner, stolen from her home. Dom was gone. Her very best friend. If she was completely honest with herself, Gwen knew she most likely would have married Dom. However, it was only after they were separated, did she realize that he was the only person with whom she wanted to spend the rest of her life.

But now that could never be. Dom was gone, most likely dead. And here she was, prisoner to a monster. Her life was not her own.

Gwen stood, leaving the cold stone bench in the garden behind her. The melting snow left the ground muddy and wet, but Gwen paid little heed. She walked past the numerous gardens, taking the shortest path. She stopped just before the willow tree where her father was buried. There, she sank to her knees.

She sat there, a long time. Waiting.

And then the tears came. She hadn't cried since the day she'd tried to escape. But now, she cried. She cried for the life that she had lost. She cried for her father and her family. She cried for Dom and the life they could never have. She cried for the beast and his terrible existence. She cried and cried, her heart breaking.

* * *

He'd only seen Gwen cry once, a long time ago. He hated seeing the sight now. Standing in the shadows, unseen, the beast watched the young woman kneeling before her father's grave. Somehow, he thought, he was responsible for her pain. And he felt her pain as if it were his own.

Not that he'd known many people, but the beast had never felt this way about anyone. Watching her wipe her fingers across the crude headstone and stand, he couldn't take his eyes off of her. His stomach flip-flopped and his heart raced as his eyes softened.

His heart was softening too. It was a rare time when the beast found himself thinking about something other than Gwen. Slowly, she invading his heart. He asked her to read to him often, just so he could hear her voice. He loved it when she laughed and they shared a joke or two. A strange thing, friendship. It left him wanting more.

But she was unhappy. And somehow, he had caused it. Pain seared his heart. He had to make it better. He had to do something for her, to make up for the misery he had put her through.

But what?

He bit his lip, and went back to watching Gwen. Startled, he found her watching him. Their eyes met and Gwen wiped at her tears. She smiled. His heart lurched, sending shivers coursing through his entire body. With a little wave, she left him standing in the shadows gazing after her. He watched her until she reached the alcove where she kept and fed Piper, the last remnant of her former life.

How she loved that horse.

The beast blinked, struck with an idea. Grinning to himself, he retreated back into the castle.


	10. Chapter Ten

**Chapter Ten**

"Can't I just look?"

The beast rolled his eyes. "No, not yet. Just be patient."

Gwen sighed, but kept her eyes closed. The beast had been mysterious all through dinner the night before and breakfast that morning. He'd asked, no that wasn't right, he'd told her that they would be going for a walk after breakfast. And that he had a surprise for her.

"Where are we going?"

"Gwen! Just do as I tell you. We're almost there." Muttering under her breath he grasped her hand and kept leading her over the snow-covered grounds. The only sounds creeping around them were their feet in the ground, soaked by the melting snow, and a crisp breeze whispering through the budded trees.

"We're almost there," the beast told her again. If Gwen didn't know better, she'd have thought there was excitement in the beast's growling voice.

His excitement let her give way to her own. "Can't you give me just a hint on where we're going?" Gwen teased.

A low growl escaped from deep in his throat.

"Just wondering," she muttered. It had been four months two weeks and three days since she'd stumbled into this castle containing a monster. But as time went by, her thoughts dwelled less on her family and more the beast who seemed so lonely. The more she got to know him, the more affection she had for his gruffness. He wasn't all scowl and mean. He was gentle and kind. He was helpful and at times, even funny. They'd spent many a night laughing before the fireplace as they recounted memories of long ago. The beast didn't have many, she'd discovered, and those he did have weren't very pleasant. But he didn't know any better, and Gwen had learned to accept them, just as she'd accepted him.

She'd never known a greater friend. She could tell him anything, and she did, without him sneering or laughing at her. Instead, he'd share his own embarrassing or funny or frightening memory.

In fact, the beast reminded Gwen a lot of Dom.

They walked in silence, Gwen running over her memories. The beast couldn't help but glance at their hands, clasped together. He couldn't keep his mind off of the tingling in his hand as he held Gwen's small slender hand in his furry paw. His heart, well, shivered at the thought of her.

For so long he had lived in the dark. Yet, the darkness had been obliterated by the presence of this young woman. She was his light. She shone and every day was breaking him free of the darkness that had held him so long. He wanted to believe that what he felt for her was love.

But him loving her wasn't enough to break the spell that held him captive. Gwen must love him back, equally, purely. Remembering his reflection in the mirror only that morning, his heart sank. How could this beautiful young woman ever love a monster like him?

Just then, Gwen reached over with her other hand and placed it on his arm with a smile. Her touch pleased him. Gwen trusted him. She counted him as a friend.

The beast sighed. It was a start.

But they didn't have long – the rose was wilting.

They walked a little farther in silence until the beast stopped so suddenly Gwen ran into him.

"Are we there?"

"Almost."

The sounds around them had changed. Gwen listened hard. Sweet sounds she hadn't heard in months met her ears and she almost burst into tears. Rich, warm, sweet scents whirled around her, making her almost believe that she was home.

"Alright." The beast maneuvered himself until he was standing behind her, his paws on her shoulders. "Now."

Gwen opened her eyes. "Oh!"

She couldn't believe it. Her heart soared with joy, and she laughed. Hazily, the beast realized that Gwen should laugh more often. He loved the sound. Gwen and her companion stood at the front of a long hallway. The smooth dirt path firm beneath her feet, she walked slowly up and down, staring into the face of each mare, stallion, and gelding as she walked by. Twenty-six stalls, each occupied by the finest horses Gwen had ever seen. Saddles, bridles, and other tack gleamed from their racks on the sturdy wooden walls. She turned to the beast, smiling.

"You should laugh more often." They stared at each other, until Gwen's smiled disappeared.

Her eyes softened, although her joy didn't diminish, and she moved closer to the beast. She lifted a hand a cupped the beast's cheek. "This is wonderful," she whispered, her eyes full of tears.

"It's yours," he whispered.

"Thank you so much." Gwen marveled at the way he looked at her, as though he had known her since the beginning of time and had loved her just as long. He lifted a paw and ran one claw gently down her cheek.

She lowered her hand and took his in her own. "Let's go riding."

The beast bit his lip. "I don't know how."

Gwen raised an eyebrow. "Then I'll have to teach you."

The beast shook his head. "No. I don't think so."

"Then come with me while I ride." She saw his hesitate and hastily added, "Please?"

The beast nodded slowly, a grin spreading across his face. He bowed congenially and went to help her choose a mount.

* * *

Merric's eyes glowed red as he watched his master and mistress gallop across the vast land around them. The snow was melting, the birds were returning, the mold and rot were disappearing, the rose was wilting.

He didn't have much time.

He paced his private room, seething, his heart crying out for revenge, calling for someone's death. Before his 'vision' and being told that he would, he had welcomed visitors, encouraging a relationship with his masters. Now that the death to be had was his own, he had to find a way to keep Gwen and his master apart. So far all of his efforts had been in vain. The pair had managed to find time together every night and most of the day. He didn't know what else he could do.

It was only a matter of time, he told himself over and over. But his own beast, the beast that resided within himself, was showing its ugly face more and more. He hated it, but was forced to face that fact that he had become just like his master, a beast in everyway but physical.

Just last night, he had almost attacked his mater when he had asked Merric like a gentleman to being in the roasted lamb. Like a gentleman! The beast within him howled his pain and anger.

Love, Merric sneered. A low growl escaped from his throat. Love was going to destroy him, destroy everything he had created, all of his hard work. All it took was one wretched wench and his world was falling in around him! He stared at the wine-filled goblet in his hand. Drowning himself in liquor wasn't helping. With a mighty heave, he threw the crystal goblet across the room and received a certain satisfaction as he watched it shatter.

* * *

The beast jogged beside Gwen, reveling in the nearness of her and the thrill of racing across the open planes of his land. His paws sank into the earth under his weight, but he loved it. Long had it been since he'd experienced such a freedom and a joy. The sun on his face, the wind in his fur, and the presence of a young woman who had gradually changed his life a little at a time. These were the things he realized he had been missing. These were the things that broke the darkness and shone with an everlasting light.

His paw sank into an especially wet patch of grass and he jerked forward, losing his balance. As his fell face first into the earth, he heard Gwen laugh. Her laughter struck a chord in his heart and in an instant he learned something he had never before considered.

He laughed with her, placing that lesson deep within his heart, unwilling to reveal it just yet. Growling, he pranced in front of her gelding, frightening the poor animal. Deftly, Gwen brought the horse to the ground, laughing all the while. Their laughter carried with the wind and spread over the grass and blooming trees and tentative flower buds that seemed to pop up everywhere.

At the top of the hill, Gwen stopped the horse and dismounted. Taking deep breaths, she inhaled the sweet smell of spring and rain and growth. The beast stood at her side, pretending to view what she viewed. But his eyes were on her.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?"

The beast grunted, bringing his focus back on the ranging hills before him. "I've never seen them before."

Gwen stared up at him. "Never?" she cried, incredulous. "You've lived for how long in that dank and dirty castle without ever stepping foot outside those walls?"

The beast shrugged. "There was never a need to. Besides, before you arrived, all this land was covered in snow."

Gwen looked out, again, over the rolling hills, distant horizon, and bounty of growing forest that spread around them. Behind them, in the distance, sat their castle, dark and remote. "How is that possible?"

The beast looked at her. "I don't know." But he did. He was under a spell. He knew nothing of his life before this castle. He knew nothing of life other than this castle. But he knew that love could save him and give him such a life. The life he longed for in the deepest depths of night. The life he longed to share…

With Gwen.

But he couldn't tell her. It was forbidden.

"Are there times when you wish you could live somewhere else? Be somebody you've only dreamed of? Travel to places never seen?" Gwen closed her eyes, daydreaming. Her heart soared over the land, but in the end, it landed right where it belonged, next to the beast. She turned to him, only to find him with tears in his eyes.

"Gwen…I…"

Her heart melted. He was different, but her heart melted. His horns and fangs and claws bespoke of an enchantment, something supernatural, but they were dear to her. His laugh sounded more like a growl, but she cherished it. His eyes held such pain she longed to take it from him. This creature, her friend, had endured so much at the hand of an unseen being. He deserved better. His nature was caring and kind and gentle and she…cared deeply for him.

"Yes?" she asked when he hesitated.

"I…I…" The beast looked at her helplessly. Finally he sighed. "It's about time for supper. I suggest we start heading home."

Gwen frowned. What was wrong with him? He'd obviously been about to say something else. What had kept him?

* * *

The beast paced his study. The clock in an adjacent room struck two. The moon shone brightly and the stars twinkled their silent song, but the beast paid them no heed. His mind was on Gwen, on their ride over the hills. There wasn't anything in this world he wanted more, he'd decided, than to kiss her. To feel her arms wrap around his neck. To see her smile at just him and known that she felt the same way.

But that was near impossible. Gwen most likely only viewed him as a friend. Oh, how he despised that term. But who could love a beast such as him? Who could look past his furry, terrifying exterior and see the man he longed to be?  
For a long time now, he had hoped Gwen could do that. He hoped beyond hope that she could come to feel for him as he felt for her. He wanted her to tingle at the touch of their hands. But would she ever?

"My lord?"

The beast spun. He hadn't been expecting to see Merric this evening. "What is it, Merric?"

Merric stepped forward uneasily. The words he'd been planning to say since the night before spun in his head. He wasn't sure, exactly, how to begin but it was now or never. "I've come to speak to you about Gwen."

The beast started. "Gwen? Is she all right? Is something wrong?"

Merric shook his head. "No, no. Nothing is wrong. The lady is fine. It's just that have noticed that Gwen had been acting a bit…" he paused, hoping to create a tense pause of hesitation. It worked.

The beast surged forward. "What, what is it?"

Merric bit his lip, forcing himself to play the unsure servant. "Well, lately I have noticed that Gwen spends a good lot of her time alone, staring out into space, gazing into the distance. Have you thought as to how much she must be missing her family, or how much her family misses her? What if her family believes her dead?"

Pain seared the beast's heart. "You mean she's not happy?"

Merric twiddled his thumbs. "Not unhappy, I'd say. Simply, wishing for something…better." The word came out as a sneer.

The beast swallowed hard. Gwen wasn't happy with him. It hurt to breathe. What was he to do?

Merric watched his master from beneath lowered lids, under pretense of staring dutifully at the wooden floor marred by claw marks. His master looked nearly doubled over with pain. Of the heart, he had no doubt. "You may want to send her home."

The beast instantly shook his head. "I can't. I need her. Here, with me." He clutched at his head with his paws. This couldn't be happening. And then he remembered her words from just a few hours before…

_"Are there times when you wish you could live somewhere else?_

Her eyes had been closed, and he didn't doubt that she'd been dreaming of home. The beast called himself a hundred foul names but none even came close to the disgust he felt within himself. He had been so wrapped up in his feelings for her, he had neglected to see how lonely and miserable Gwen had become.

Then Merric spoke the words that solidified his decision. "The rose is wilting. You don't have much time left before you are a prisoner to eternity. If you can't be sure that she will love you by that end, then have mercy and send her home. Don't force her to be a prisoner, like you, because you are unlovable."

The beast glared at his servant. The pain in his chest was so strong he felt he would shatter into a millions pieces. Tears streaming down his face, he howled his rage and pain once last time.


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Chapter Eleven**

Gwen stared out the window. Her horses, Dom's mare Piper among them, beautiful and wonderful gifts from the beast, grazed hungrily at the green grass that now covered the fields and land surrounding the castle. Winter was over. Spring was just beginning. She heard the sweet song of birds and the thick croak of the frogs.

But her mind wasn't on the things before her. Her thoughts dwelled on another time and another place. If the seasons were as Gwen suspected they were and it was nearing winter back home, her mother would soon be harvesting her garden. Her brothers would be separating the colts and fillies from their livestock to sell at the upcoming harvest fairs. Jacie should have had her baby. Gwen wondered if it had been a boy or a girl. Delia might very well be married.

And yet, as much as she missed home, and her old routine and having her mother and sisters to bicker with, she couldn't bring herself to leave the beast. The last five months had done something amazing to their friendship. Nearly every night now, together they would sit beneath the stars, choosing a different tower top each night, and make up stories about the stars and the pictures they made. They spent hours reading together in the largest library Gwen had ever seen. The room was covered in windows that let in warming sunshine by day and starlight by night. She never let him close the heavy curtains. It was her favorite place, besides her stables. And speaking of stables and her horses, Gwen was determined to get the beast to ride with her instead of loping along as he had done the afternoon before.

No. As much as she had loved her home and family, she belonged here. The beast needed her.

A thought occurred to Gwen, and it surprised her so much, she fell right off of her seat by the window.

"Are you all right?"

Gwen scrambled to her feet. "Yes, I'm fine." Her heart raced with her new knowledge. She clenched her hands behind her back, suddenly feeling shy and small around the beast.

"What's wrong?"

The beast came closer and put his fingers beneath her chin, forcing her to look up at him. "What's wrong?" he asked again.

She looked away. "Nothing," she lied. "I was just thinking of home."

The beast's heart lurched. No! He wouldn't let her go! He couldn't! She meant too much to him.

_Will you force her to be a prisoner?_ Merric's words to him last night haunted him, reminding him of what he had come here to do. He clenched his teeth. Don't say it! Tell her! His mind warred with his heart. But in the end, Merric won out. "You should go to them."

"What?" Gwen glanced back at him, shocked.

Tears slipped from the beast's eyes and he felt as though his heart was being torn from him. "I – I release you. I won't hold you captive any longer. Go back to your family."

"But, I couldn't." Gwen reached out to him and took his arm. He flinched and shrugged her away, violently. "I don't want to go." She tried to smile, to talk some sense into him, but the look in his eyes told her he was oh so serious.

"You must! I won't keep you here!" He pushed her away. "You don't belong here." He whistled once and Piper, saddled and ready, immediately stepped from her open stall and walked forward. She shied a bit at the sight of the beast, but at seeing Gwen, she stepped forward. Seeing the horse, he remembered he had meant to go riding with her again. Now, that would never happen.

Gwen back away as he held out the reins to her. "I don't want to go. I want to stay here. With you!"

"No! You don't belong here, Gwen! This isn't your choice! You must leave!" The beast hadn't shouted at her since the day she had arrived. The sound sent shivers down her back. When she didn't move, only stared at him, the hurt of betrayal gleaming through her tears, he wrapped her hands around the reins himself.

"No!" She cried. Tears streamed down her face as she tried to thrust the reins away.

He swung off the cloak he wore around his shoulder to ward off the spring chill and laid around her shoulders. It was far too large on her, but…he wanted to give her something to remember him by. The beast sighed, his heart breaking, and lifted her onto the horse. He cupped her cheek with one hand. "Don't forget me, Gwen." He wiped the tears streaming down her face. "Don't forget." He whacked the horse's flank before she had a chance to answer and the mare galloped off. The beast stood staring after them, unaware of the tears soaking his fur. The air around him was so quiet he was sure Gwen could hear his heart shattering as she looked back before she disappeared into the forest.

* * *

Merric glared down at his master, from a window in the tallest tower. Gwen had galloped away through the forest moments ago. Had the monster done what Merric had only dreamed of? Had he finally send her away? Merric laughed in triumph.

* * *

Gwen rode limply on Piper's back as she walked through the worn path in the forest. Tears still ran down her face, her heart crying tears of its own. Her family was the last thing on her mind. Why had he sent her away? The question beat itself in her head with the rhythm to the pounding of her mare's hooves.

Suddenly, electricity ran through her. Piper never falters, but Gwen nearly fell off. When she regained her balance and glanced around, her eyes widened in fear. She reined Piper in and sat silently in a forest of lush trees and shrubs just beginning to show the signs of autumn. The blackened twisted trees were nowhere to be found. Instead of buds on the trees, red and orange leaves littered the path beneath Piper's feet.

All around her warm sunlight burst through the canopy. Gwen was unaware of the passing trees as Piper took it upon herself to bring her Mistress home. And suddenly, Gwen found herself in a clearing. Barren cornfields, only recently stripped of their bounty, bordered her entrance to the east and to the south. The forest bordered her back to the west and to the north stood a large cottage. A cottage she knew too well…

For she had grown up there.

"No!" she cried. "No, no, no, no, no!" She reined in Piper and dismounted. She ran toward the house, dismayed, leaving Piper to find the stable by herself. She stopped halfway there. She still wore the heavy cloak the beast had given her before he had forced her to leave. Gwen burst into tears and ripped it off. She started to throw it away, ready to stomp it angrily into the ground. Seeing the dark material, she sank to her knees and held the cloth close. It smelled like him. Oh, the beast. Her beast.

Why had he sent her away? Did he not care for her? Gwen's heart felt as though it were being wrenched from her chest. She might never see him again. Oh, how ready she was to forgive him if only he would take her back! What had she done to lose his favor?

It took some time for Gwen to quiet the sobs that wracked her body. When she did, she carefully slid the cloak back around her shoulders, holding the end in one hand. With that, she ran toward the cottage.

"Mother! Jason!" She burst through the door. "Jacie! Delia! Kelsey!" She ran upstairs. "Rose! Neal! Where are you?" She ran back down the stairs and into the backyard and cornfields. "Hello! Is anyone there!"

Hoof beats sounded in the distance, making her way toward her. Neal. As he came closer, his eyes widened in shock. He stopped his horse fifteen feet away and dismounted. Gwen watched him, breathing hard, angry, terrified, ecstatic, and unable to take her mind off of where she belonged.

She heard him whisper her name.

She nodded, and through her tears managed to croak, "It's me, Neal. It's me. I'm home." She took a step toward him. He took a step back.

"Stop!" he commanded. "Don't come any closer!"

"Neal, it's me!" Gwen cried harder and spread her hands wide. "Don't you believe me?"

"Gwen is dead! She's gone!" he shouted, but Gwen could hear the tremor in his voice.

"No, I didn't die, Neal! It was a portal! It was a spell!"

"Gwen is dead!"

"Neal, listen to me! I'm right here. I'm not dead." She held out a hand. "You can touch me. I'm real."

"No," Neal continued to back away. "I won't believe it."

"I've seen Father, Neal." The memories were suddenly as fresh as ever and she relived the night her father died. The night she met the beast. "I was with him when he died. I was there. The beast kept me as his prisoner, but we became friends. But he let me go! He let me go." Gwen sank to her knees, sobbing once again, into the cloak the beast had given her. "He let me go_. He let me go!_"

She felt strong arms envelope her and for a moment she imagined that the beast had followed her. She leaned forward and found a strong shoulder to lean on. And she cried. And then she remembered. "Oh, Neal. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry!" She felt tears fall onto her neck, felt the sobs shake his body, and realized her brother was crying as well. She clung to him, wishing with all of her might that she might reverse time. Or more importantly, that it was the beast holding her and not her brother.

For a long time after they had spent all their tears, the pair stood together holding each other, grieving, silent.

"Where's Mother?" she whispered, breaking the long comfortable silence.

Neal pulled her to her feet and grasped her hands in his. He stepped back with uncertainty. "Look at you." Gwen looked up at him. "You're all grown up."

Gwen shook her head. "It's only been five months, Neal."

Neal frowned. "Five months?" Gwen nodded. "Gwen, it's been two years."

"What?" Gwen stared at him. "How is that possible? I counted the days!"

Neal sighed and hugged her again. "No matter what happened, you're alive and well. That's all that matters." He pulled away and wiped the tears streaming down her cheeks.

"I've missed you, Gwen."

Gwen smiled. "I've missed you, too." She heaved a sigh. "It's been a long time."

Neal nodded. "Too long."

"Neal?"  
Gwen and Neal whirled around. There stood Sara, her apron billowing in the breeze. With a sharp intake of breath, Gwen stepped forward. "Mother!"

"Neal, who is that with you?" Sara held up a hand to shield her eyes from the sun and nearly collapsed in fright. "Gwen!"  
Gwen ran as hard and as fast as she could until she stood but three feet from her mother. She would have immediately enveloped her in a tight embrace, but Sara held out her hands.

"Get away from me!"

"Mother, it's me!"

"My daughter's dead! Who are you?"

Gwen closed her eyes, tears leaking from beneath her lowered lashes. She opened them and stared deeply into her mother's frightened eyes. "Mama, I'm home."

* * *

The next morning, Gwen rose with the sun and at first, couldn't remember where she was. The walls weren't made of stone and her bed was missing the lovely canopy she'd woken up to every day for the past five months. It took a moment to realize that she wasn't in the beast's home any longer.

She fought back tears as she pushed her covers aside and slipped her feet to the floor. Glancing around, she couldn't help but notice that her room was exactly the way she had left it. Only, it seemed smaller. The window over her bed still let in the dreamy sunlight over her bed, the red and white curtains still hung across the glass, the view of her family's land was as beautiful as ever.

Yet, she missed the snow. She missed watching as spring enveloped the land. She would never eat breakfast beside the beast or listen to his voice as he read story after story from her favorite leather bound book. She would never…

Gwen wiped at the tears on her cheeks. No, she would not grieve. She had wanted to come home.

Hadn't she?

Shaking off her uncertainty for a moment, Gwen rose and walked to her closet. Her sisters had long since been married she'd been told the day before. Delia had married a farmer who owned land several towns away, so she didn't visit often. Rose and Eric had moved south, closer to the ocean. Jacie and her husband still lived in town, but with two toddlers and another one on the way, she rarely made the trip up for a visit. Kelsey had married a sailor and had immediately boarded his ship and sailed away, finally finding an adventure worthy of her attention. Sara and Gwen's brothers hadn't heard from her since the day she left.

The room seemed empty without Delia's possessions cluttering the room. Her easels and paint sets were gone and the walls had been stripped of her paintings. Nothing was the same. And yet, nothing was different.

Two years, Gwen though sadly, as she pulled on a blouse and jumper Delia had left behind. Two years of harvests, two years of summer dances, two years worth of sorrow and pain and laughter and life and joy. She'd missed two years of her family's lives. And yet…

She had counted out every day of her captivity as carefully as could be. How was it possible that two years had passed when Gwen was sure she had only marked down six months worth of days? Slipping on a pair of sandals and grabbing the beast's cloak that lay over the foot of her bed, she made her way down stairs, shaking her head over the insanity of what had happened.

Sara stood from her seat at the table and came to her the moment she caught sight of her daughter. She embraced Gwen so tightly the girl could barely breathe. But it felt so good to be held by the woman who had raised her and lost her, only to find her once again.

"I love you, Mama." Gwen whispered.

"Oh, sweet, I've missed you so." Sara pulled away and cupped Gwen's face with both hands. "You must tell me everything that has happened. There's so much we need to catch up on." She pulled away, but not before Gwen saw the shaking of her hands.

Sara headed toward the counter, chattering away, telling her about Neal and his fiancé and Jason and his new wife. Gwen smiled and grabbed the spare apron that Sara always hung on the back of the door. Gwen grinned as she tied it around her waist. Some things never change. She stood next to Sara and the two exchanged smiles as mother handed a hunk of dough to her daughter. Kneading the would-be-bread, Gwen felt herself relax. Somehow, she knew everything would be okay.

Gwen let her mother talk, reveling in her mother's voice, even while the deepest parts of her longed for another's voice. When Sara paused to take a breath, Gwen hesitated. "Mama, did…did Dom ever come home?"

Sara fell silent. Her hands stilled on the dough. "No, darling." Sara turned sad eyes to her. "He did not." She sighed, her hands resuming the slow rhythm. "Near broke Deanne and Mitchell to pieces. They miss their boy something awful."

Gwen felt her chin tremble. "Do you think he's all right?"

Instantly, Sara's arms were around her. "Oh, Gwen. I hope so." At her words, Gwen's resolve to keep her tears at bay broke. For long minutes mother and daughter grieved over a lost loved one. Gwen grieved once again for the life they could never have. A life she had wanted so desperately, but had realized it all too late.

It took some time, but Gwen gathered her courage and led her mother to the table. It was time to tell her tale. "I have to tell you a story. It begins with a promise…"


	12. Chapter Twelve

**A/N** - sorry this is taking so long..but I just started a new job at Best Buy and it's been taking up all of my time...I PROMISE the rest is coming...and it will be finished by the end of the week! Enjoy!

BTW: I couldn't get the divider to work so the _italicized_, **bold**, and underlined X's are there as dividers...just to let you know...

**Chapter Twelve**

The eerie pink glow hadn't diminished with the loss of so many petals as Merric had thought it would. As it were only three petals remained, each hanging limply above the crisp dried petals that had already fallen. Merric paced his master's private study in the southeastern wing, his eyes never leaving the wilting flower encased in crystal.

It was only a matter of time now.

Merric glanced over at the beast. The monster hadn't moved from the oversized chair facing the window. Merric knew what he watched for. He knew that his master hoped against hope that Gwen would return, galloping back up the path, declaring her love.

And Merric knew that the beast's hope was in vain. No young woman in their right mind could ever love an animal such as that. But Merric wanted to rub it in. He wanted the beast to suffer as much as he, Merric, had.

"Master?" he called tentatively.

The beast didn't answer, didn't move.

"Now that the girl is gone, what do you intend to do?"  
The beast blinked. A growl emitted from his throat as he glanced at Merric, his eyes quickly returning to the path outside, framed by the window's gilded edge. "I'll wait for her."

Merric rolled his eyes. "Do you really believe that she will return?"

The beast fought back tears. Yes, he would hope against hope. Gwen was worth it. "Yes."

Merric frowned, unable to fathom his master's reasoning. "Why?"

The simple answer couldn't have surprised Merric more if the beast had reached out and struck him.

"I love her."

**_x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-_**

"And he let me go. Just like that."

Sara leaned across the table to grasp Gwen's hand in her own. Tears fell unashamedly from her eyes. Her daughter had been forced to endure so much, and yet, Gwen was grateful. Sara was more than a little surprised to see her face light up when speaking of the monster that had taken her captive and killed her father. Sara shook her head, unable to believe the transformation in her daughter. No longer was her youngest child the wild, adventurous young woman that had caused so much mischief. The young woman who sat before her displayed a sense of calm and acceptance. The restlessness that had characterized her, made her unique from the other children, was gone. She was, simply put, content.

Gwen gave a watery chuckle at her mother's perusal. "I know it sounds silly, even insane, but, Mama..."

Sara nodded. "You care for him."

Gwen shrugged. "Yes. I do. More than I ever cared to admit." Sara said something, but Gwen wasn't listening. Closing her eyes, she relived every moment she'd lived with the beast. Finding her father. Eating that first supper across the table. Reading. Sharing stories beneath the stars. His smile. His laughter. The look in his eyes when he looked at her. The stables. The horses. The way he had sent her away. And in one instant, she made a decision that would once again change her life forever.

"I have to go back."

Sara sat back as though struck. "What? Gwen, you…"

Gwen shook her head. "No, Mama. I have to go back. I belong with him." She stood, pushing the chair away from her so hard it clattered to the floor.

Sara stood with her, outraged. "You mean to tell me that after two years you show up here, only to disappear hours later? What kind of thing is that to do to your family? Don't you even know how we've suffered? First losing Henry and then you?" Sara waved a finger at her daughter. "No! No, I will not lose you again!"

"Mama, for the first time in my life I know where I belong!"

"You belong with your family!"

"You don't need me. The beast needs me!" Sara started to say something, but Gwen continued, going to her mother and taking her hands. "He makes me happy. It doesn't matter that he sent me away, that he released me. I need to go back."

Sara shook her head, unable to speak for the tears clogging her throat.

"I'm sorry. But I have to do this."

A single tear trailed its way down the older woman's cheek. "Why?" she managed to choke out."

Gwen blinked. The answer was so simple. "I love him."

**_x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-_**

The sun settled quickly over the castle, leaving everything in darkness. While the path was no longer visible, the beast had yet to move from his post. He neither slept nor ate, but waited.

Merric brought his master a tray of tea, knowing full well that the beast wouldn't take it. If he hadn't felt such an overload of triumph, Merric might have felt a bit sorry for the animal. As it was, another petal had fallen and Merric could barely contain his joy. His life was safe. Death couldn't touch him as long as the spell was still in tact. Now that the girl was gone, it would forever stay that way.

Carrying the tray toward his master, he suddenly lurched forward. The floor beneath his swayed and groaned. Glass shattered while thunder crackled over head. Lightening lit the forest as the castle shuddered as though someone had gripped it between two hands and shook it back and forth. He screamed as he dropped the tray and hot tea spilled down his front. He fell to the floor, unable to keep his footing.

He caught a glimpse of his master, still sitting in his chair, waiting, as though he couldn't feel the castle being torn down around him. Merric tried to rise to his feet, but the writhing floor shook too badly. He was flung up against a wall. Searching for a handhold, anything, he grasped onto a candelabra on the wall and hung on for dear life.

**_x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-_**

The emotion in her mother's eyes frightened her, but for once, Gwen knew that she was making the right decision. Love was all that mattered in life. She had lost it once. She was not about to lose it again.

Suddenly, the ground shook violently. Gwen barely kept her footing as the floor bent and twisted. She heard glass shatter as she was thrown across the floor.

"Gwen! What is wrong with you?"

Gwen felt as though the entire house was falling in around her. "Mother! It's an earthquake! Get everyone out!" she cried. Sara just stared at as if she had three horns sticking out of her chin.

"Gwen, what are you talking about?" Sara ran to her.

Gwen's stomach heaved at the rolling of the earth. The floor pitched and rolled the stones moving beneath her. "Make it stop!"

And as suddenly as it had begun, it stopped.

**_x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-_**

The earth stilled and Merric finally found his footing. The castle had stopped its mad race to end the world and he stood shakily. He looked around, surveying the damage and gasped in horror.

Nothing had moved. The tables, the ripped curtains, the moldy wooden chairs, everything was still in their original places. The glass windows were still in tact.

The only object out of place was the crystal case that had once held the rose and its magic petals. It lay, shattered, on the floor at the master's feet. The master's _feet_. No longer did the beast sport claws, but toes. No longer did fur cover his entire body, but skin. Pale skin. The skin of a human.

Merric screamed in rage. Not a beast, not a monster, nor an animal, but a man. Dom sat in the beast's place. Bits of fur clung to him and the clothes hanging from him obviously belonged to a much longer man. His rage built until he could no longer contain it and he lunged.

**_x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-_**

"Gwen, are you alright?" Sara helped her off of the floor. "What happened?"

The girl put a hand to her head, massaging the growing lump that she'd acquired when she hit her head on the floor. "I – I don't know. It felt as though the castle was falling down," she said dreamily.

Sara frowned, putting a hand to Gwen's forehead. "What are you talking about, honey? What castle?"

Gwen didn't answer. She was staring into the distance, listening for something. Sara shook her, but she didn't respond.

_A scene materialized in front of her as her home and mother shimmered out of view. A battle scene. Two men. Merric. Dom. A sword. Terror. Defense. Attack. A window. Moonlight. Glass. Shattering. Merric. Pain. Dom._

Sara shook her again, hard. "Gwen! Snap out of it!"

The life came back into her eyes once again. And with it, a sense of urgency. "I have to go." She pushed her mother side and without a good-bye, she was out the door and out of sight. Sara let her go, watching her leave with terror in her heart. She stared after her a long time before dissolving into tears.

Gwen hurriedly made her way to the stables, finding Piper, still saddled, and happily munching on fresh straw just behind the barn. Gwen felt a twinge of regret as she realized she must have forgotten all about the horse last night. "Sorry girl, but we've got to leave." The mare whickered and Gwen smiled. The mixed joy and terror in her heart warred with each other. Terror made her hurry, but the joy gave her a smile. The beast had been Dom all along! She hadn't lost him!

"Are you leaving, Gwen?" Neal walked over, grunting as he heaved a bale of hay at her feet. "Again?"  
"I didn't _leave_ last time." She didn't look at him. "I'm bringing Dom home."

"Let me go with you."

Gwen shook her head. "No, Neal. This is something I have to do alone."

"Gwen, please."

"No…" she started, and then stopped. She bit her lip, turning to him, unsure. "Neal," she began.

Neal gave her a sad smile. "I understand. My little sister is all grown up, but she still needs to go out on her own adventures."

Gwen hugged him hard. "Thank you." She kissed his cheek and hurriedly mounted the mare. Tugging on the reins, she turned back to her brother. "Take care of Mama." After a moment's hesitation she added, "I'll be back." She nudged the horse into a canter and headed for the forest.

She let Piper lead the way down the path. The mare shied away from the portal's opening as they got near, but Gwen kicked her hard and sent her sprinting into the invisible force field. The blackened and twisted trees made her gasp. Thunder rolled overhead, broken by flashes of lightening. What had happened to spring?

How long had it been since the beast had sent her away? If she could spend six months in one world and come out two years later in another…

Gwen's heart nearly stopped. What if she was too late? She urged Piper into a gallop.

**_x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-_**

Dom stared at his attacker. The sharp ragged slab of wood in his hand had, presumably, once belonged to a table. The splintered wood, sharp and deadly, gleamed dully in the flashes of light that crackled every now and then. "What do you want, Merric?"

Merric twisted the make-shift sword, wondering how best to drive it through Dom's human flesh. "I want _you_, Master. You don't deserve the death I'm about to give you. No, you deserve a whole lot _worse!_" He swung the wood. Hard.

Dom ducked, the branch missing his head by inches. He twisted his ankle in an attempt to scramble away. He gasped in pain and stumbled. It was just the opening Merric had been looking for. The former servant shrieked with rage and drew the sword with terrifying speed toward Dom. At the last possible second, Dom gathered his strength and rolled free, ignoring the pain shoot up from his ankle. Shattered glass bit into his shoulder.

"Don't run, Dominic! You'll never be able to get away from me. Not here!"

Dom scrambled away as fast as he could. He tripped and fell over a table. Merric threw away his sword, smiling at him in mockery, his hands spread wide.

"You want to fight me, Dom? Huh?" He came up on him and grabbed him by the front of his tunic. As Merric lifted him to his feet, Dom came face to face with his greatest fear. "She wasn't supposed to have found the castle! You weren't supposed to have loved her!" The madman's voice could be heard over the crackles of thunder. Leaning forward, Merric hissed, "She wasn't supposed to have broken the spell!" His muscles bunched, and suddenly Dom found himself flying through the air, against a large ceiling-high window. It shattered on impact.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**Chapter Thirteen**

Merric laughed hysterically, his eyes gleaming. His enemy was dead. He could live his life out in this castle forever. It may not be ideal, but it was life! In with that life came freedom. He, Merric, was master of this castle! No one was going to take it from him.

Then he heard a low groan. Merric's heart stopped and he clenched his teeth. It couldn't be true! He forced his way through he rubble and made his way to the window. With a snarl he pushed himself way from the window sill, his flesh breaking as he leaned on broken shards of glass. He had thrown that bar of wood somewhere. His enemy was still alive! The man had landed on a precipice not six feet below the window. Short and shallow, the man-beast had nowhere to go. Half-dead already, Merric presumed, as he searched for the bar he thrown away, Dom could sit in agony a few more minutes before his imminent death.

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High above the ground, laying flat against the risen turret, Dom lay, bleeding and in severe pain. The cooling rain pounded as hard as the thunder that rattled the air around him. He breathed heavily, ready to give up.

Gwen. Oh, he was so sorry he wouldn't be able to see her again. If only Henry hadn't disappeared. If only Dom hadn't gone after him. If only he had listened to Gwen. If only…there were so many 'if only's'. Tears poured down his temples.

Even as a beast, Dom had recognized Gwen, although he hadn't been able to place where or how he knew her. Her laughter, her smile that lit up her eyes, her voice; they had captivated him all over again. She loved to read, loved adventures, loved the spring as it had come over the land.

But he hadn't been able to bring himself to keep her prisoner. He knew her. Gwen wasn't someone who could sit back and let things happen. She had a restless spirit. She made her own destiny and taking one given through an ancient spell was not Gwen's way of doing things.

But, oh, the look in her eyes as he'd sent her away. He knew at that moment that he would never see her again, that he would be forever cursed to life out the rest of his life as this hideous creature, unable to do anything but wallow in his own grief. But he was content with that. As long as Gwen was happy. If Gwen was happy, nothing else mattered.

And now, Gwen was gone. And he was going to die in this prison. And he was okay with that.

His chest hurt and it was suddenly hard to breathe. As he struggled for breath, he suddenly felt a cool hand on his forehead.

"Gwen?" he managed to croak. He struggled to open his eyes, but the sudden light was too bright. It hurt too much to move.

"Don't give up. Your time has not come." A female voice, all too familiar rang in his ears, in his very soul. Dom sank back, too weary, too miserable to care.

"Your princess is coming, my King. Don't let down. Your destiny is waiting!" The cool hand made its way down his cheek and jaw line. Energy and strength flowed thought him. He felt, more than saw, his cuts and bruises and broken bones healing. The weariness dissipated. He opened his eyes.

And saw no one.

"Don't give up, my lord!" The voice faded and Dom sat up. He stared in amazement at his body. It was whole, and new, and strong.

Heavy footsteps broke through his reverie. With a sharp intake of breath that belied the fact that his broken ribs were indeed healed, Dom scrambled to hide. But where?

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Merric returned to the turret, wooden sword raised in two hands, ready to sink the splinters into the monster. He stepped out into the rain and the ugly sneer disappeared from his once handsome face. Dom was gone. A red haze swam across his vision until he couldn't see straight. No! Dom was _not_ going to get away this time! Not for anything! Unable to see clearly, he stumbled over stray stones. Unbalanced he staggered precariously toward the turret's edge.

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"Dom!" Gwen shouted at the top of her lungs as she raced Piper through the forest. The castle came into view and she only urged the mare faster. Thunder crackled. The steady rain had long ago soaked her to the skin, but she paid no heed. Her only thoughts were of Dom. He needed her. "Yah!" She dug her heels into Piper's side, praying, hoping, believing that she wasn't too late.

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Dom turned his head ever so slightly just in time to catch Gwen dismount a horse far below him and disappear into the castle. He wanted to cry out to her, to tell her that it wasn't safe, but that would mean his own death. It would take Gwen a while to find him. If he called out to her, now, well, he didn't have a weapon. Merric would kill him and neither Gwen nor Dom would have any chance at all. So he kept his mouth shut even as his heart cried out.

He adjusted his hold on the side of the turret. The width of the turret was just wide enough with an edge at the bottom for him to stand on. He held on, but barely. He glanced down and his vision swam. Oh, he hated heights. He blinked, hard, and glanced back, discretely, toward the window. He couldn't see Merric any longer. Couldn't hear him. Dom tries to still his heavy breathing, but it seemed to echo off every tower.

Dom stilled as Merric stepped into the light, the wooden sword raised in both hands. He watched as a look of shock exploded over the servant's face. He stepped onto the turret and swayed, stumbling. He staggered toward Dom, rage practically radiating red from Merric's entire body.

Biting his lip, Dom flung out an arm, swiping Merric's feet from under him. The man went down, hard. Grunting, Merric surged to his feet. Dom heaved himself up from his hiding place just as Merric brought the wooden bard toward Dom's head. Dom ducked, but the bar hit him square in the shoulder.

Blinded with pain, Dom fell to his knees.

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Gwen raced up the many flights of stairs. The beast, Dom, hadn't been in the library. Nor had he been in any of the places the two of them had visited together. She rounded a corner and headed into the forbidden southeaster wing. It was the only place he could be.

So she hoped.

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Merric brought the bar down again, but Dom rolled out of the way. He grabbed a large shard of glass as she stood up, massaging his bruised shoulder as he jumped out of Merric's way. The turret was short, too short for the kind of battle Merric was looking for.

But that didn't matter. Merric lunged, but Dom was ready. He slashed out with the glass in his hand, while bringing his other hand up and under, toward Merric's stomach. Distracted by the glass aimed at his face, Merric ducked, only to collide with Dom's fist. Dom quickly slashed down with his other hand and the glass sliced through Merric's flesh, opening his eyebrow and ruining his eyes.

Merric screamed his agony and let the wooden bar drop. He staggered back, blood pouring from his wound. Dom rounded on him, swinging. Fist after fist met Merric's face as Dom's pent up fear and anger let loose.

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Gwen reached the beast's private study. Just as when she'd last saw it, broken furniture lay everywhere. One window was gone, shattered, and the case that had held that beautiful rose was gone. Thunder and rain pounded the air outside. As lightening streaked across the dark sky, a figure was illuminated outside the broken window.

A man. She hadn't seen him in nearly a year, and yet had been with him every day for a long while. Gwen burst into tears and haphazardly dodged broken furniture as she made her way toward the window.

"Dom!" she sobbed. "Dom!"

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Merric lay nearly unconscious before him. "That was for Gwen!" Dom cried. "And for my family! And for my life! That you took from me!" He didn't know if the droplets running down his face were tears or simply rain. It didn't matter. He had to go find Gwen, he realized, before the monster before him woke up.

"Dom! Dom!" He whirled. And there she was. He stood, staring at her, at Gwen, for a long moment, not truly believing that she was here. "Gwen," he whispered her name with human lips and teeth, reveling in the sound. With a cry, Dom ran to the window. He reached out a hand and his knees buckled as shards of pain radiated from his side.

He went down as Gwen screamed his name.

Merric ignored the girl. He would deal with her later. He didn't care that Dom had surged to his feet and was now circling him, warily, trying to keep him away from the girl.

Merric growled. He couldn't wait any longer. "You lose, boy! This is my life, my game! _You will NOT take this from me!_" Dom cringed and that was it. Merric's control snapped and he surged forward. He roared his fury, screaming. He raced at Dom, swinging the wooden sword wildly.

Gwen's scream split the air and thunder crackled all around.

Dom couldn't see. Frantically he wiped the rain from his eyes. Merric's sword was inches from his chest and time seemed to stand still.

For a split second, Dom wondered what it would be like to die. Death would be most welcome, at the moment. The pain in his shoulder and ribs intensified, it seemed, with each breath. The pain would be gone. His agony would be gone.

But then he looked at Gwen. Without her, all hope of a life well lived would die. There was no life without her. Death wasn't worth it. The spell had changed his life. The ancient spell that had held so many captive was broken, had given him a second change.

Gwen had given him a second change.

He blinked and lurched to the side. Merric, not expecting the sudden movement, kept running forward, arms and weapon outstretched.

Dom spun and swung his arms, connected in one fist, at Merric's back with all his might as the man passed. The impact sent Merric to the floor, rolling and tripping over loose gravel.

Merric tried desperately to once again gain some semblance of control. But the turret was too short. His arms flailing, a loose and wild terror took hold. And he fell.

Dom heard his scream and he heard the distant thud of a body hitting solid ground, but he had his sights on someone far more important.

Gwen, wide-eyed, and white, watched the entire thing. It couldn't be possible. Docile, polite Merric had become her and Dom's worst enemy. His greed, his anger had become a weapon, a cunning he had used all too well.

And then there was Dom. She had missed his face, his hands, his eyes, and his smile. Suddenly, she couldn't stand to be so close and yet so far. She climbed onto the turret, her hands bleeding as she leaned on the sill. Her knees gave way and she sank to the stones beneath her. She clutched her chest, her heart. Dom could have died!

Dom ran to her and knelt beside her. She threw her arms around him and he kissed her hard. She threaded her fingers through his hair and hung on with all of her might. She tried to pull away to get a good look at him.

"No," Dom whispered. He kissed her again. Their breath mingled and tears stained both their cheeks. But their tears were soon washed away by the gentle rain that now fell. Dom pulled away first and wiped at her tears. He kissed her forehead, which brought on another onslaught of tears on Gwen's part.

"I thought I'd lost you," she cried, feeling as though she may burst with relief.

Dom drew her head to his chest and simply held her, his lips against her hair. "You almost did," he whispered.

"Why did you send me away?"

Dom felt his heart constrict, remembering that terrible moment. "You weren't happy. I – I knew it was selfish keeping you here, keeping you a prisoner. I wanted you to be happy." His voice cracked and Gwen pulled away to look him in eye.

"You thought I wasn't happy?"

He wouldn't meet her gaze.

Gwen ran her fingers over his face, marveling at the touch. "I fell if love with you all over again, even as I thought you were the beast. I was happy." He looked up at her and suddenly she couldn't breathe from the pain and hope in his eyes. "I love you," she said simply.

Dom leaned forward and kissed her, sliding his hand beneath her rain-soaked hair to deepen the kiss. "I love you, too," he whispered after a long moment.

The rain stopped and the clouds began to dissipate, but the pair barely noticed. Rising to his feet, he pulled Gwen with him and enveloped her in a crushing hug. "I told you I'd be back."

Gwen smiled up at him. He kissed her, gently, and for the first time in all her life, Gwen was content. Content to stand, surrounded by the arms of her beloved. As she looked up at the quickly brightening sky, the air around her smelled, fresh, clean, new. She looked up at Dom, and knew that he felt it too. The clouds rolled away, sending beams of bright light scattered in all directions. And she knew.  
Everything was all right. The world was suddenly, magnificently, right again. She turned her gaze back to Dom, who she had lost, only to find again, and lifted her chin for another kiss, knowing that in her lifetime, there would be many more to come.


	14. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

The spell was broken. The moment Merric was killed, the portal disappeared. The seasons aligned, and time fell back into place, leaving a forgotten but powerful kingdom in its stead. Unbeknownst to most, Gwen had fulfilled a most ancient of prophesies. The love, grown between two of the most unlikely of people, saved an entire kingdom.

Dom, king of Ethane, wed Guinevere three weeks later, unable to wait any longer. Each family, and much of the new kingdom watched as the two were wed in a simple ceremony held in the newly restored palace.

Two years later, the first Crown Prince of Ethane was born, Cyrus, followed by his brothers, Garret, and Henry. Theirs was a happy life, filled with tales and stories and love.

The kingdom of Ethane prospered well, setting in place legends, myths, and stories of the true power of love. But the greatest folk-tale of all was that of Beauty and the Beast.

**Lauren Hurley**

**A Castle of Ebony**

**August 13, 2006**

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**A/N - **

Well, there you have it. Gwen and Dom live happily ever after. I hope you enjoyed my story. Beauty and the Beast is my favorite fairy tale and I hope I did it justince. Oh, please be sure to read Cyrus's story, The Glass Slippers, coming soon. Until then, you can check out Gwen's granddaughter's story, The Secrets of Silver. The stories of Cinderella and the Prince and the Pauper of also a few of my favorites and I hope you enjoy those as much as you enjoyed this one!

Thanks SOO much to all of you who reviewed and kept me going. I love writing this and I loved all of your reviews.

God bless,

Lauren Hurley


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